Perve Galeria is pleased to announce its participation in the next edition of 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair London 2026, which will take place in Somerset House, London, from October 15th to 18th.
In this edition, Perve Galeria presents a selection of works by four artists who are fundamental to the construction of modernity and contemporary art on the African continent and its diasporas: Ernesto Shikhani (1934-2010, Mozambique) Reinata Sadimba (born 1945, Mozambique) Teresa Roza d’Oliveira (1945-2019, Mozambique/Portugal) and Manuel Figueira (1938-2023, Cape Verde).
The presentation brings together four distinct artistic trajectories that, although rooted in different geographical and cultural contexts, share an engagement with issues of identity, memory, tradition, transformation, and the construction of modern African artistic languages.
Ernesto Shikhani (1934-2010, Mozambique) occupies a central place in the history of modern Mozambican painting. His work is characterized by a powerful symbolic and spiritual dimension, articulating ancestral memory, social experience, identity, and reflections on the transformations of modern African society. His practice developed a very personal visual language in which figuration, abstraction, and symbolic forms coexist.
Reinata Sadimba (born 1945, Mozambique) is one of the most internationally recognized Mozambican artists and a leading figure in contemporary African ceramics. Drawing from the sculptural traditions of northern Mozambique, Sadimba has transformed clay into a deeply personal language, populated by human and hybrid figures. Her works explore the boundaries between traditional knowledge, individual expression, gender, memory, and contemporary art.
Teresa Roza d’Oliveira (1945-2019, Mozambique/Portugal) developed a unique body of work, marked by an intimate engagement with issues of identity, memory, femininity, displacement, and belonging. Her practice occupies a distinct position in the history of Mozambican art, combining personal and symbolic imagery with a complex reflection on cultural and social experience.
Manuel Figueira (1938-2023, Cape Verde) is considered one of the most important figures in modern Cape Verdean art. His work is deeply connected to the cultural landscape of the islands, incorporating elements of daily life, landscape, memory, and local traditions into a refined and highly distinctive pictorial language. His contribution to Cape Verdean visual culture spans several decades and remains fundamental to understanding the country’s modern artistic heritage.
Together, these four artists offer a perspective on African modernity that transcends geographical and chronological boundaries. Their works reveal how artistic languages can emerge from the encounter between inherited traditions, lived experience, cultural memory, and the transformations of contemporary society.
Through this presentation, Perve Galeria continues its long-standing commitment to the research, exhibition and dissemination of artistic legacies from Africa and the Portuguese-speaking world, contributing to greater visibility for artists whose contributions are essential for a broader and more plural understanding of global art history.
Source: Perve Galeria
