The report

State of Contemporary
African Art

The monthly artists and collector report

A monthly account of contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora, read as a global industry. Each edition sets out which artists showed and where, who signed and who won, what sold and at what level, then the opportunities still open and the calendar ahead.

See August edition

What is in the report

The publication

A global industry, not a regional interest

The Monthly Artists and Collector Report is the flagship editorial publication of Art Kelen, the contemporary African art platform founded and curated by Daffa Konaté. It is published once a month, in English and French, and it covers one thing with as much precision as the public record allows: the state of contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora, understood as a global industry rather than a regional interest.

That framing is deliberate. Contemporary African art is no longer produced in one place and consumed in another. This report is the instrument through which the platform makes that argument with evidence attached.

At a glance

Once a month

Published in English and French, researched by Daffa Konaté.

Access

Members read it in full

Circle members receive the full report on publication. The public sees a preview.

Readers

Who it is for

Collectors

Deciding which artists to follow before the market does.

Artists

Deciding where to spend a year of their practice.

Curators and gallerists

Tracking a field that moves faster than its literature.

Institutions

That need to understand the market their acquisitions sit inside.

Every edition, six parts

Key Findings

The month's most important developments, gathered before the detail so the essentials can be read in a few minutes.

The Month in Art

Exhibitions and new work, city by city across Africa and its diasporas, naming the artists, the pieces, the materials and the dates.

Artists

Who joined which gallery, who was shortlisted or won, and the moves shaping individual careers this month.

The Market

What sold at auction and at the fairs, the results that stood out, and what those numbers mean for artists working today.

Opportunities

Open calls, residencies and prizes still accepting applications, each set out with its closing date.

The Calendar

The fairs, biennales, auctions and openings ahead, set out date by date for the months to come.

Latest edition