Africa First was founded by Serge Tiroche in 2017 as a platform to support and promote Contemporary Art from the continent. An active collector of African Contemporary art for over a decade, he decided to focus his private collecting and residency program on emerging artists from Africa and its diaspora.
Africa First actively promotes the artists in its collection through its website, gallery collaborations, a lending program, digital media, an artist residency, newsletters, sponsorships, prizes and commissions, as well as various forms of collaboration and advisory work with a multitude of institutions in the art ecosystem. These activities are essential for the advancement of the artist’s profiles and ultimately long-term value creation.