The art world has a new center of gravity, and it’s not where you’d expect. African artists are creating some of the most exciting, thought-provoking, and visually stunning work on the planet right now—and they’re doing it on their own terms.
Today’s creatives are capturing complex narratives, building installations from bottle caps, designing furniture that belongs in museums, and coding digital masterpieces on Excel spreadsheets. Yes, Excel.
Below, we present 21 African artists who are rewriting the rules—and you’re going to want to know every single one of them.
In this Article:
Why African Artists Are Rewriting Contemporary Culture
Something fundamental has shifted in the art world, and there’s no going back. For decades, Western institutions decided what mattered, who got shown, and whose work was “important.” Meanwhile, African artists were creating groundbreaking work that barely got a second glance from the gatekeepers.
Those days are over.
Today’s African artists aren’t asking for a seat at the table—they’ve built their own tables. They’re launching galleries in Lagos and Dakar, selling directly to collectors through Instagram, and creating art that commands six and seven figures at auction. Museums and major institutions? They’re scrambling to catch up with what’s been happening all along.
The impact extends far beyond gallery walls. African artists are influencing runway collections, inspiring architectural movements, and soundtracking cultural moments. Not to mention reshaping how we think about identity, beauty, and belonging. They’re not participating in contemporary culture—they’re defining what contemporary culture becomes.
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21 African Artists You Need to Know
Below are 21 African artists whose work demands attention. They work in different media, come from different countries, and approach their craft in wildly different ways. What connects them is a commitment to excellence and a vision that transcends borders.
Painters: Redefining What Canvas Can Do
Reports of painting’s death have been greatly exaggerated—especially if you’re paying attention to what’s happening in African studios right now. These African artists are proving that paint on canvas still has plenty to say, and they’re saying it louder than ever.
1. Ben Enwonwu
- From: Nigeria
- Lived in: Nigeria and the UK (1917-1994)
- Style: Modernist with deep African roots
- Known for: Being Nigeria’s first internationally recognized modernist painter, creating a visual language that merged European techniques with Igbo aesthetics
- Notable fact: His portrait “Tutu” vanished for decades before resurfacing and selling for £1.2 million in 2018, becoming a symbol of lost African cultural heritage reclaimed.
2. Barthélémy Toguo
- From: Cameroon
- Based in: France and Cameroon
- Style: Powerful watercolors combined with installation and performance
- Known for: Addressing migration, power structures, and human dignity through visceral, often unsettling imagery
- Notable fact: Among the most politically engaged African artists of his generation, featured at Venice Biennale and Documenta.
3. Julie Mehretu
- From: Ethiopia
- Based in: New York, USA
- Style: Abstract, large-scale, architectural with layered complexity
- Known for: Creating monumental paintings through layers of acrylic paint overlaid with pencil, pen and ink White Cube, exploring themes of migration, conflict, and geopolitics through chaotic yet structured compositions
- Notable fact: Commissioned to create the 83-foot “Uprising of the Sun” for the Obama Presidential Center Marian Goodman Gallery, and donated a painting that raised $6.5 million for the Art for Justice Fund to combat mass incarceration Art Basel.
4. Chéri Samba
- From: Democratic Republic of Congo
- Based in: Kinshasa, DRC
- Style: Popular painting with bold colors, text, and comic-strip influences
- Known for: Sharp social and political commentary wrapped in accessible, almost cartoonish imagery that speaks to ordinary Congolese people
- Notable fact: One of the most celebrated African artists from the landmark 1989 “Magiciens de la Terre” exhibition that challenged Western-centric art narratives.
5. Ibrahim El-Salahi
- From: Sudan
- Based in: Sudan, UK, and Qatar throughout his career
- Style: Abstract expressionism infused with Arabic calligraphy and African visual traditions
- Known for: Pioneering modernist painting in Africa and the Arab world, creating a unique visual language that bridges cultures
- Notable fact: At 94, he’s considered the grandfather of African and Arab modernism, with major retrospectives at Tate Modern.
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Photographers: African Artists Behind the Lens
Photography in the hands of African artists has become one of the most powerful forces in contemporary visual culture. With cameras as their tools, these creators are dismantling stereotypes, documenting joy that mainstream media ignores, and building archives of Black life that will matter for generations.
The technical skill is world-class. The vision? Absolutely groundbreaking.
6. Thandiwe Muriu
- From: Kenya
- Based in: Nairobi, Kenya
- Style: Vibrant portrait photography with bold patterns and colors
- Known for: Her “CAMO” series that critiques how African people are invisibilized by wrapping models in textiles that match elaborate backgrounds
- Notable fact: Featured in Vogue, CNN, and collected by the Smithsonian—one of the most visually striking African artists working today.
7. Ruth Ossai
- From: Nigeria
- Based in: Lagos, Nigeria
- Style: Documentary and portrait photography celebrating Nigerian joy and everyday life
- Known for: Countering negative stereotypes about Africa by photographing ordinary people in moments of beauty, dignity, and celebration
- Notable fact: Her work has been featured in The New York Times and National Geographic.
8. Zanele Muholi
- From: South Africa
- Based in: Johannesburg, South Africa
- Style: Black and white photography with dramatic contrast and intensity
- Known for: Visual activism documenting Black LGBTQI+ lives in South Africa, creating both a political statement and an archive of resilience
- Notable fact: Uses the term “visual activist” rather than artist, emphasizing the political urgency of their work.
9. Omar Victor Diop
- From: Senegal
- Based in: Dakar, Senegal
- Style: Conceptual portrait photography blending historical references with contemporary fashion
- Known for: His “Diaspora” series restaging European Renaissance paintings with African subjects, interrogating history and representation
- Notable fact: Featured in museums worldwide and commissioned by luxury brands, bridging fine art and commercial photography.
10. Lakin Ogunbanwo
- From: Nigeria
- Based in: Lagos, Nigeria
- Style: Fashion and portrait photography with cinematic quality
- Known for: Capturing Nigerian urban sophistication and youth culture with extraordinary technical precision
- Notable fact: Shot campaigns for Nike and major international fashion houses while remaining deeply rooted in Lagos.
Mixed Media: African Artists Breaking Boundaries
Why choose one medium when you can use them all? These African artists are the rule-breakers, the experimenters, the ones who look at bottle caps and see sculpture, at fabric and see painting, at Microsoft Excel and see a canvas.
They’re working with whatever serves their vision—metal, cloth, code, found objects, recycled materials—and creating some of the most innovative, museum-stopping work in contemporary art.
11. El Anatsui
- From: Ghana
- Based in: Nigeria
- Style: Large-scale sculptural installations made from recycled bottle caps and other found materials
- Known for: Creating monumental tapestries that shimmer like fabric but are made entirely of metal, exploring themes of consumption, colonialism, and transformation
- Notable fact: One of Africa’s most celebrated artists internationally, with works in the British Museum, MoMA, and museums worldwide
12. Papa Ibra Tall
- From: Senegal
- Lived in: Senegal (1935-2015)
- Style: Tapestry and mixed media influenced by both traditional Senegalese aesthetics and modernism
- Known for: Being a founding member of the École de Dakar movement, creating large-scale tapestries that elevated craft to fine art
- Notable fact: His work helped establish Senegal as a major center for contemporary African art in the post-independence era.
13. Njideka Akunyili Crosby
- From: Nigeria
- Based in: Los Angeles, USA
- Style: Mixed media paintings with photo transfers and collage
- Known for: Creating intimate domestic scenes that layer Nigerian cultural references with American life, exploring the complexity of transnational identity
- Notable fact: Her work “Bush Babies” sold for over $3 million in 2018, and she was awarded a MacArthur Fellowship in 2017.
14. Abdoulaye Konaté
- From: Mali
- Based in: Bamako, Mali
- Style: Large textile installations using dyed fabrics
- Known for: Creating powerful compositions that address environmental issues, migration, and conflict through abstract textile work
- Notable fact: His fabric installations have been exhibited at the Venice Biennale and major institutions, proving textile can command the same space as painting or sculpture.
15. Osinachi
- From: Nigeria
- Based in: Lagos, Nigeria
- Style: Digital art created entirely on Microsoft Excel
- Known for: Pioneering digital art in Nigeria and demonstrating that powerful art can be made with everyday technology
- Notable fact: Among the first African artists to embrace NFTs and digital art markets, expanding what’s possible for African creators
16. Linda Dounia
- From: Senegal and France
- Based in: Dakar, Senegal
- Style: Bright, psychedelic mixed media combining painting, collage, and digital elements
- Known for: Creating vibrant Afrofuturist visions that celebrate African spirituality, femininity, and cosmic possibility
- Notable fact: In 2022, her digital works were featured in Sotheby’s Natively Digital auction series, cementing her place among leading voices in digital art.
Designers: Because Designers Are Artists Too
At OKANLY, we’ve never bought into the artificial divide between art and design. These African artists work in furniture, textiles, and interiors, creating pieces that are as rich as any painting and as beautiful as any sculpture.
The difference? You can actually sit on their work, use it as lighting, or fill your home with it. They’re proving that functionality and artistry are life-long partners.
17. Jean Servais Somian
- From: Ivory Coast
- Based in: Abidjan, Ivory Coast
- Style: Contemporary furniture design using traditional West African materials and techniques
- Known for: Creating sculptural furniture that honors Ivorian craftsmanship while feeling utterly contemporary
- Notable fact: His work bridges the gap between traditional African craft and high-end contemporary design.
18. Thabisa Mjo
- From: South Africa
- Based in: Cape Town, South Africa
- Style: Furniture and interior design with an architectural touch
- Known for: Reimagining traditional South African forms into distinctive modern pieces
- Notable fact: Founder of Mash.T Design Studio, winner of the 2018 Design Indaba’s Most Beautiful Object in South Africa award for her Tutu 2.0 pendant light.
19. Jomo Tariku
- From: Ethiopia
- Based in: Boston, USA
- Style: Furniture design blending Ethiopian aesthetics with modernist principles
- Known for: Creating pieces that tell stories about migration, identity, and cultural memory through furniture
- Notable fact: His work is in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian and he’s redefining what African-inspired design can be.
20. Eva Sonaike
- From: Nigeria/Germany
- Based in: London, UK
- Style: Textile and interior design celebrating African prints and patterns
- Known for: Bringing West African textiles into luxury interior design, creating fabrics that honor tradition while feeling fresh and modern
- Notable fact: Her fabrics have been used in high-end hotels and homes worldwide, showing African design shines in every space.
21. Chuma Maweni
- From: South Africa
- Based in: Johannesburg, South Africa
- Style: Ceramic design rooted in traditional craftsmanship and modern minimalism
- Known for: Handcrafted clay furniture and pottery that bridge ancient African techniques with contemporary design
- Notable fact: Exhibited at Southern Guild and featured in Wallpaper magazine for his ceramic furniture pieces that redefine the boundaries between art and design.
These African Artists Are Just The Beginning
Twenty-one artists. Influence that spans continents. Painters, photographers, textile artists, furniture designers, digital creators—each one bringing something the art world didn’t know it needed until it saw their work.
These African artists aren’t asking permission to be great. They’re not waiting for validation. They’re creating groundbreaking work, building new institutions, mentoring the next generation, and fundamentally changing what’s possible in contemporary art and design. The world is finally paying attention. And it’s about time.
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