10 Galleries to Watch at Black-Owned Galleries Now

Artsy’s online showcase Black-Owned Galleries Now showcases more than 60 gallerists from around the world and the artists they platform. Here, Artsy Editorial spotlights 10 participating galleries to watch.

Kampala, Uganda

Known for: Uplifting voices from across Uganda

Umoja Gallery, established in 2011 by Ugandan curator Lyton Hillary, is located among a thriving arts community on Kampala’s north side, alongside neighbors Afriart Gallery and AKA Gallery. For over a decade, the gallery has devoted its programming to elevating the visibility of artists from across the African continent to both local and international audiences.

While broad in its approach, Umoja Gallery is perhaps best known for its support of local artists, offering a platform to emerging names such as Muramuzi JohnBosco and Allan Kyankonye. Its current exhibition, “Identity and Spirituality,” presents the works of Ugandan artist Hoods Juuko. The artist is also featured in the gallery’s presentation for Black-Owned Galleries Now alongside fellow Ugandan artists Kizito Maria Kasule and Wesley Bwambale.

—Maxwell Rabb

Olambe, Nigeria

Known for: Spotlighting emerging Nigerian artists

Since it was founded in 2009, Greenhouse Art Gallery has become a pillar in its local community in the town of Olambe, near Lagos in Nigeria. Princess Oghogho Iyase-Odozi—herself an artist, art administrator, promoter, and educator—founded the gallery to promote both emerging and established artists from Nigeria and platform voices from across the African continent. In the decades since, it has grown to encompass a museum and an art training center, which offers arts and crafts education for disadvantaged groups in its local community.

At the gallery, Greenhouse maintains a busy and broad program, where emerging artists have become its forte. This approach is illustrated in its current show at the gallery, “Fresh Art Perspectives,” which features paintings by two 1997-born artists: Okeke Buchi and Faith Michael Ogadinma.

Meanwhile, for its presentation at Black-Owned Galleries Now, Greenhouse is presenting a series of works by women artists that reflect on “the African Cosmology impact of women on society,” according to the gallery. Through painting and mixed media, works by artists including Olubunmi Ayaoge Oyesanya and Oluwafunmilayo Funmi Arabambi muse on themes including morality, justice, love, and peace.

—Arun Kakar

Nomadic

Known for: Supporting African, Caribbean, and diaspora artists

When art dealer Khalil Akar and British rugby player Maro Itoje joined forces to open Akoje Gallery in 2023, they aimed to differentiate themselves from traditional gallery spaces by presenting dynamic pop-up exhibitions and events with a diverse roster of African, Caribbean, and diaspora artists. Last year, for instance, the gallery participated in “Christie’s Lates: Voices of Black Artistry,” contributing to an evening of performances, talks, and workshops featuring multidisciplinary artist Shanti Bell and contemporary fashion and lifestyle brand Kai Collective.

In partnership with the King’s Foundation, the gallery also hosts the Akoje Residency at Dumfries House, an 18th-century Scottish country house. The program provides selected artists with opportunities to develop their practice through workshops, talks, and open studios. Recent residents include Beya Gille Gacha and Enoch Jr Chinweuba. Though still a young gallery, Akoje is quickly becoming one to watch in the emerging art scene.

For its presentation at Black-Owned Galleries Now, Akoje Gallery is showcasing work from three painters. Highlights include a portrait by rising Nigerian artist Oluwole Omofemi, whose figurative paintings have been the subject of numerous solo exhibitions with the gallery.

—Adeola Gay

Maputo, Mozambique

Known for: Championing Mozambican artists

When they co-founded Arte de Gema in 2016, Pompílio Hilário Gemuce and Elia Gemuce already had years of experience in Maputo’s art scene. A multidisciplinary artist who studied at the Kyiv Academy of Fine Arts and the Sorbonne Nouvelle, Pompílio Hilário was a founding member of the Contemporary Art Movement of Mozambique (MUVART), an influential collective launched in the early 2000s. Elia, meanwhile, is an artist and curator who has long taught at the country’s National School of Visual Arts. As gallerists, the pair cultivate a program that spotlights Mozambican artists, aiming to push them onto the global stage. To that end, it has participated in fairs including 1-54 in London and ARCO Lisboa.

In its presentation at Black-Owned Galleries Now, Arte de Gema is highlighting artists across generations and mediums. They include Estevão Mucavele, a painter of vibrant, rhythmic landscapes punctuated by whimsical patterns; Mapfara, a sculptor of surrealistic ceramic figures; and Thandi Pinto, whose psychedelic photo collages probe ideas about power and visibility.

—Olivia Horn

Dakar and Paris

Known for: A robust online program bridging French and Senegalese art communities

After careers in consultancy and sales of cultural products, Astou Sall Ferrère launched Jëndalma Art & Design in 2020. The online gallery bridges artists from Africa and its diaspora with collectors and art enthusiasts globally, featuring offices in Paris and Dakar, along with a physical residency space in the Senegalese capital. “At Jëndalma Art & Design, we have chosen this medium to promote our artists: it can reach a new local clientele but, above all, it targets the international market,” Ferrère once said of her online-first approach.

Through its online channels and international offices, Jëndalma Art & Design intends to enhance the reach of Senegalese artists, who otherwise have little access to the international art market. A recent online exhibition, “Time and inspiration intertwined,” featured the work of three Senegalese artists spanning three different generations: 1950s photographer Pape Daouda Gueye, the late painter Séa Diallo, and 38-year-old painter Alioune Badara Diop.

For its presentation at Black-Owned Galleries Now, the gallery is presenting works by Korka Kassogue, Sinenkosi Msomi, Diallo, and Gueye.

— M.R.

Online/nomadic

Known for: Showcasing emerging voices across Africa and its diaspora

Founded by filmmaker and curator Beathur Mgoza Baker, MCA Gallery – Madlozi Contemporary Art champions artists from Africa and its diaspora through online channels and pop-up exhibitions across South Africa. The gallery is committed to uplifting a diverse range of voices by cultivating a cultural platform that hosts a slate of artists, literary figures, performers, and other creatives. This mission is demonstrated by its current salon-style presentation, “The Africa Salon,” which features 13 artists from seven African countries, including South African photographer Neo Theku and Ghanaian artist Ben Agbee.

For Black-Owned Galleries Now, MCA Gallery is presenting “Black Imaginaries Beyond Binaries & Borders.” This exhibition features works by artists such as Zimbabwean painters David Chinyama and George Masarira, alongside American artist Patrick Earl Hammie, among others.

—M.R.

Lagos

Known for: Platforming Nigerian artists on the international stage

Founded by Nigerian arts tastemaker and interior designer Tola Akerele in 2022, SOTO Gallery has quickly established itself as a prominent platform in the Lagos arts community. The gallery is rooted in the principle of art education, an ethos evident in Akerele’s “Art of Collecting Art” exhibition and talk series, which features discussions with top art collectors.

In just two years, SOTO Gallery also has made significant inroads in the international art scene, participating in buzzy art fairs such as 1-54 London, where it showcased Nigerian artists Johnson Uwadinma and Uche Uzorka, and ART SG in Singapore, where it presented works by Uwadinma and Uchay Joel Chima. The gallery also spearheaded the first +234Art Fair in Lagos in 2024, which featured work from nearly 200 artists.

At home, SOTO Gallery offers a robust program that also features artists from across the African continent, as well as Nigeria. Its most recent exhibition, for instance, “In the Mix,” features seven contemporary Zimbabwean artists, including sculptor Terrence Musekiwa and painter Nyashadzashe Marovatsanga. For Black-Owned Galleries Now, SOTO Gallery is presenting the work of 77-year-old Beninese artist Ludovic Fadairo.

—M.R.

Kampala, Uganda

Known for: Uplifting African artists through politically and environmentally motivated exhibitions

In 2022, Ugandan environmentalist Helga Raine and British curator Kara Blackmore joined forces to establish Borderlands Art, as a platform that highlights the intersection of environmental advocacy and sociopolitical activism. Working closely with its five-artist roster, the gallery aims to amplify voices from underrepresented communities while fostering dialogue on global and local issues, from the environmental crisis to migration.

The gallery and its founders have been active in collaborating with institutions worldwide. For instance, it played a pivotal role in curating part of “Routes of Resistance” at the Skissernas Museum in Lund, Sweden, in late November 2024. The show featured works by Ugandan artist Charity Atukunda, Sudanese photographer Elsadig Mohamed Janka, and Ugandan artist Gloria Kiconco. Back in Kampala, the gallery is currently mounting an exhibition, “‘Confluence’ Fission, Fusion, and Creative Alchemy,” featuring these names alongside Colombian artist Manuela Lara, in a presentation that explores themes of identity.

For its presentation at Black-Owned Galleries Now, Borderlands Art is spotlighting a selection of prints by Kiconco and mixed-media paintings by Atukunda. Later this month, the gallery will make its debut at the Investec Cape Town Art Fair.

—M.R.

Detroit

Known for: Platforming Detroit-first changemakers with a national network

Located in Detroit’s West End, Irwin House Gallery was founded by Valerie Irwin and her late husband, Council B. Irwin, Jr., as an extension of their lifelong passion for art collecting and community building. The pair founded the gallery in 2015 and, after years of rehabilitation, officially opened its space to the public in 2018. Today, it serves as a home for the Irwins’ extensive collection, as well as a platform advocating for Black artists and minority voices through cultural programming and exhibitions.

As Detroit’s burgeoning art scene continues to grow in stature, Irwin House is working to bring artists together in the city’s West End neighborhood, participating in citywide events such as “I’ll Be Your Mirror,” a biennial for queer art in 2024. The gallery also hopes to function as a bridge to other communities nationally and beyond. For example, its current exhibition “Art for Altadena” will benefit artists affected by the recent Los Angeles wildfires.

As part of Black-Owned Galleries Now, Irwin House Gallery is presenting a selection of African American artists from across the United States. Works include Picassoesque mixed-media portraits by Carl Karni Ben, and the distinctive leopard-printed paintings of Rotimi Godwin.

—Josie Thaddeus-Johns

Nomadic

Known for: Championing emerging and mid-career artists of African descent