PRIZM Art Fair 2020

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PRIZM Art Fair 2020

December 1–21, 2020

Various locations / International

Ajamu Kojo, Black Blood, No.1: In the spirit of John, Loula & Joanna Williams family, Entrepreneurs (2017)

PRIZM Art Fair is an annual art fair that produces a cutting-edge, multidisciplinary platform. PRIZM’s mission is to expand the spectrum of exhibiting international artists from Africa, the African diaspora and emerging markets, who reflect global trends in contemporary art. These artists bring into focus socio-political and cultural issues pertinent to the people of African descent in Miami and around the world. Each year, the fair highlights different curators to present salient works in solo presentations that highlight the diversity in contemporary visual art practices today. PRIZM operates workshops and special events throughout the year to advance critical dialogue and sharpen the lens through which we view and understand contemporary art. In addition to engaging nationally and internationally, PRIZM has a strong commitment to the local Miami cultural community. PRIZM works to expand the visual arts landscape of Miami, nurture and educate its constituents and provide forums for cross-cultural exchange, bringing a broader audience to new and existing local art spaces.

Francks F Deceus, Mumbo Jumbo #4 (2020)

Mark Fleuridor, Adventures of Mako #1 (2020)

Albert Chong, Natural Mystic (1982)

Aramis O’Reilly, Quarantined Invisible Man No. 3 (2020)

“African Diasporic communities have attempted repeatedly to blanket themselves from a host of incessant obstacles – systemic injustice, racism, economic disparity, gender inequality – while the goal post of progress stretched farther away with each giant leap made towards it,” says Mikhaile Solomon, Founder and Director of PRIZM Art Fair. The loss of life of thousands of African descendants has heralded a mandatory denouncing of current and past atrocities committed against the global African community.

From this vantage point, PRIZM Art Fair revisits and contemplates the layered rendering of complex communal histories through the lens of African/Diasporic filmmakers past and present, seeking a deeper understanding of global African identity through evaluation of its intersections with contemporary visual art. Noir, Noir will examine how these films have functioned as harbingers of global African/Diasporic liberation movements. Noir, Noir references the African avant-garde film tradition as well as contemporary African/Diasporic filmmakers to explore how visual artists have created bodies of work inspired by narratives, aesthetics, cultural notes and social commentaries poetically rendered in the various cinematic modalities.

N.Masani Landfair, still life (picking up the pieces) (2019)

N. Masani Landfair, no contact I (2019)

N. Masani Landfair, no contact II (2019)

Milena Carranza Valcárcel, Serie, “Afroperuvian Eggun” (2010)

PRIZM’s programming includes twelve gallery exhibitors across the United States, Caribbean and the African continent, representing 45 artists from 11 countries, including Barbados, Ethiopia, Haiti, Jamaica, Martinique, Nigeria, Saint Maarten, South Africa and Trinidad. Additionally, PRIZM will feature emerging Miami-based artists who are actively engaged in perpetuating the city’s growth as a cultural hub. These artists also address socio-political and cultural issues pertinent to the people of African descent in Miami and beyond.

Christa David, my country my country, she wailed (ii) (2020)

Nyugen E. Smith, Bundlehouse (All fenced in) (2020)

Yanira Collado, Untitled (2020)

PRIZM Art Fair 2020 will be available for online viewing through the PRIZM Art Fair website and Artsy. Film screenings and panel talks will be available through the fair’s website. PRIZM Art Fair is presented in partnership with the Green Family Foundation and the Knight Foundation, with media partners Artsy and Sugarcane Magazine.

This year, PRIZM will present the work of 45 artists within a curated exhibition entitled Noir, Noir: Meditations on African Cinema and its Influence on Visual Art curated and organized by William Cordova and Mikhaile Solomon.