Aṣọ-Òkè: The Cloth We Inherit

Akinola Lasekan's 1957 oil portrait of Chief Justus D. Akeredolu in a red striped aṣọ-òkè agbada, patterned fila cap and coral beads

I am standing before a portrait in Nigerian Modernism, the survey at Tate Modern. It is Akinola Lasekan’s 1957 oil of Justus D. Akeredolu. Lasekan and Akeredolu were both first-generation Nigerian modernists who once shared a studio in Lagos, and Akeredolu is remembered as the pioneer of Yoruba thorn carving, so the painter here is […]

Inside the Most Compelling African Pavilions at the 2026 Venice Biennale

African pavilions at the 2026 Venice Biennale, the 61st International Art Exhibition

For a long time, Africa’s presence at the Venice Biennale has felt slightly out of place. Even as African artists helped shape contemporary art globally, the continent itself often seemed pushed to the margins, present but not always fully seen, its stories and forms framed through a Western lens or treated as something separate from […]

Market Entry Is Not a Mood Board

Two models in hand-painted garments laughing as cream fabric billows between them, photographed outdoors against a wall covered in newspaper clippings and vintage car photographs.

Market Entry Is Not a Mood Board Why Brands Mistake Aesthetics for Infrastructure and What Credibility Actually Requires Photo: Carlos Idun In recent years, several major fashion houses have staged shows and campaigns across the African continent. Runway presentations in Dakar and Marrakech. Campaign shoots in Lagos and along the Kenyan coast. Capsule collections developed […]