The global art market is tuning into African art and cultural expressions and more and more works by contemporary African artists, both established and emerging, are making it to the forefront of exhibitions and shows by several global visual arts powerhouses such as The Smithsonian, The Met Museum, The British Museum, Christie’s, Sotheby’s, Denver Art Museum, Baltimore Museum of Art among others. 

To keep abreast with the scintillating new works by the sculptors, painters, potters, photographers from Africa is imperative to stay ahead of the market trends and social media has provided the perfect curating tool for the latest happening in terms of new artworks and news and development around the African art scene.

Instagram is the social media platform of choice for many artists to share their work, and the reason for this isn’t farfetched when you take into cognizance that the platform is a photo- and short video-based platform; the perfect mediums to showcase and appreciate the essence of a work of art while connecting virtually with its creator and exchanging ideas and experiences.

To follow every African artist and art gallery there is on Instagram can be a daunting and time-consuming venture that is inexhaustive, therefore, a more efficient way to populate your Instagram timeline with the latest in African art - whether you are an art investor, an art curator, an art expert, an academic in the arts, an art collector, an art student, a creative, or just an art lover or art enthusiast - is to follow these five African art-curating Instagram pages. They not only offer artworks and artists, but they also intimate you on the latest news and events as well as buying the pieces of art on display.  

1. Aworanka  (@aworanka)

Aworanka is primarily an online platform for acquiring contemporary African artworks in a simplified, safe, and transparent manner. On Aworanka, you can buy a diverse mix of artworks from African artists in the fields of painting, sculpture, works on paper, and photography directly from Africa’s best galleries with an accompanying authentication certificate from the gallery and for purchases over $500, the certificate of authenticity is linked to a digital record issued by a third party world-leading provider plus a free account with the international art registry Tagsmart.

@aworanka on Instagram is one of the most up-to-date and live African art curation pages with a daily upload of the latest artworks for acquisition as well as news, artists’ interviews and podcasts, and events happening in and around the African art world, and as it relates to the wider international art market.

2. African Digital Art (@africandigitalart)

Established in 2009, this page was created as an answer to the explosion of digital art by artists from Africa and the diaspora. This page curates the latest in the world of African digital art and presents them in a captivating and thought-provoking layout.

It also serves as an online collective and a creative space where digital artists, enthusiasts, and professionals can seek inspiration, showcase their artistry and connect with emerging artists.

3. Art Africa Mag (@artafrica_mag)

Art Africa Mag concerns itself with bringing to its followers, exhibitions, events, gallery visitations, and auctions for African art happening both on the continent and around the world. If you want an itinerary of all the African art events and exhibitions happening anywhere in the world, you can be sure that you will get the information here.  

4. African Artists' Foundation  (@aaf_lagos)

@aaf_lagos is the Instagram account of the African Artists’ Foundation, which was established in 2007 in Lagos, Nigeria, as a platform for organizing art exhibitions, festivals, competitions, residencies, and workshops with the aim of unearthing and developing talent, creating societal awareness, providing a platform to express creativity and assistance to professional and emerging artists in Africa. The Foundation organizes the annual LagosPhoto Festival and the National Art Competition.

Their Instagram page shares artworks submitted by emerging African artists, artworks from the festivals and competitions they organize, and they regularly post calls for submission so if you are an emerging/aspiring artist, you should check them out.

5. Gallery of African Art   (@galleryofafricanart)

This Instagram page showcases contemporary African art from established and emerging artists from the continent and its diaspora. Under each of the artworks posted by them, there is always a detailed description of the work, the artist, and the exhibition where the work was displayed, and other significant information about the work that you will leave the page an expert in that work and the artist who made it.