The London art fair 1:54, which is dedicated to artists from Africa and the diaspora, made its US debut last month at Pioneer Works in Brooklyn. Several artists, including Gonçalo Mabunda (Magnin-A Gallery, Paris), Nidhal Chamek (Primo Marella Gallery, Milan) and Sammy Baloji (Axis Gallery, New York), also have works in Okwui Enwezor’s exhibition at the Venice Biennale (until 22 November). Baloji also has work in the Belgian pavilion. The Venice effect was immediate: on the opening day of the fair, the Nomad Gallery from Brussels sold all four paintings on its stand by Lavar Munroe (priced between $22,000 and $30,000) to collectors in Mexico, Luxembourg, Belgium and the US. This followed the sale of three of his works in Venice.
