Not New, Always Here: Ancestral Abstractions
An inaugural exhibition of works by African and diasporic artists engaging with abstraction as a mode of artistic expression.
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- deadline unknown, verify at source
- Entry fee
- Free
- Location
- 183 Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
- Exhibition window
- Sep 9, 2026 → Sep 15, 2026
About
Overview
Takoradi Global Arts presents Not New, Always Here: Ancestral Abstractions, its inaugural exhibition, curated by Andreann Asibey of Studio Kilombo. Bringing together works by Prince Asher, Mildor Chevalier, Martin Kofi Dartey, Victor Odoi, Celestin Santé, Godwin A. Sowah and emerging artist Vlala Boss, the exhibition explores abstraction as a longstanding and evolving mode of African artistic expression. Across painting and mixed media, the artists engage with place, spirituality, sound, memory, ecology and everyday life. Their practices reveal abstraction as more than a formal language, becoming a way of seeing, thinking, remembering, making and relating.
Exhibition Dates & Location
- September 9–15, 2026
- 183 Gallery, Toronto, Ontario
- Opening Reception: Thursday, September 10, 6–9pm
- Director & Curator Talk: Saturday, September 12, 2–3pm
About the Exhibition
Not New, Always Here challenges the framing that African abstraction has been rediscovered or measured against European and North American histories. The artists are not entering the history of abstraction; they are extending, transforming and reimagining histories that have always been present. Working within living continuities, the artists draw from urban life and ancestral memory, political struggle and ecological knowledge, migration and intimacy, while expanding the possibilities of abstraction in the present.
Programming
- Opening Reception: Thursday, September 10, 6–9pm – Join us for refreshments prepared by Chef Amanda of Edible Bliss
- Curator and Director Talk and Walkthrough: Saturday, September 12, 2–3pm – Joanne Abbensetts (founder/director), Andreann Asibey (curator), and Tandazani Dhlakama (Curator of Global Africa, Royal Ontario Museum) will discuss the histories and contemporary possibilities of African abstraction, the artists represented, and the role of collecting and curatorial practice in shaping how African art is encountered in Canada
About Takoradi Global Arts
Founded and directed by Joanne Abbensetts in November 2025, Takoradi Global Arts is an art collection and nomadic gallery rooted in contemporary African expression. Bringing together artists and perspectives from across the African continent and its diasporas, the collection celebrates the plurality, experimentation and richness of contemporary African artistic practice.
Contact Information
- Website: takoradiarts.com
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: 647-518-0378
- Instagram: @takoradiarts
- For accessibility requests or inquiries: [email protected]
Venue Information
183 Gallery, 183 Queen Street East, Toronto, ON M5A 1S2. Please note that 183 Gallery is not accessible as there are a few stairs to access the exhibition and reception space.
- Entry fee
- Free to enter
- Theme
- An exploration of abstraction as a longstanding and evolving mode of African artistic expression, challenging narratives that frame African abstraction as newly discovered or secondary to European and North American histories. The exhibition positions contemporary African artists as extending and transforming histories of abstraction that have always been present.
- Contact
- [email protected]
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