Africa Africa: The KuBe Art Center, Beacon, NY

Ethan Cohen Gallery at the KuBe Art Center is pleased to present Africa Africa, a group exhibition bringing together historical African masterpieces from Ethan Cohen’s collection and contemporary works by Aboudia, Frédéric Bruly Bouabré, Innocent Nkurunziza, Armand Boua, Terrence Musekiwa, Gonçalo Mabunda, and Catheris Mondombo.

Spanning generations and distinct cultural traditions, Africa Africa offers a view into the richness, innovation, and diversity of artistic expression across the African continent. Historic works are presented alongside paintings, drawings, sculpture, and mixed media works by artists whose practices engage with questions of memory, spirituality, identity, and the changing conditions of everyday life.

Material and transformation connect many of these practices. Aboudia and Armand Boua draw upon the streets of Abidjan, developing expressive visual languages that reflect the lives of those who inhabit them. Innocent Nkurunziza incorporates earth and natural materials into his work, while Catheris Mondombo’s use of salvaged tarpaulins carries traces of life in Kinshasa. Gonçalo Mabunda transforms discarded weapons into sculptures that confront the legacy of conflict in Mozambique. Terrence Musekiwa brings Zimbabwean stone-carving traditions into dialogue with found and industrial materials, while Frédéric Bruly Bouabré’s drawings unite image and language in an expansive project of observation and cultural preservation.

The historic works from Ethan Cohen’s collection introduce another dimension to these explorations of form and meaning. Their presence invites connections across time, opening a conversation about the ways artists give physical expression to belief, experience, and communal memory.

Africa Africa continues the gallery’s commitment to presenting significant voices from the African continent, offering audiences an opportunity to encounter the individual visions and varied artistic traditions brought together in this exhibition.

About Ethan Cohen Gallery:

Ethan Cohen Gallery is a curatorial force in global contemporary art, known for championing both emerging and established voices across continents. With a foundation in post-war contemporary, the gallery has earned international recognition for its early and sustained support of Chinese Avant-Garde artists, as well as its forward-thinking embrace of emerging talent and contemporary African art. Ethan Cohen’s eye for the extraordinary has helped launch the careers of artists who are now widely celebrated, while continuing to introduce collectors and institutions to the most compelling new voices of each generation. As noted in Slant Magazine, Ethan Cohen has been called “one of the most influential art dealers in the world.”

Founded in 1987 as Art Waves/Ethan Cohen in SoHo, the gallery was among the first to present Chinese experimental art to the U.S. audience. Today, Ethan Cohen Gallery operates from two locations in Chelsea, NYC and The KuBe Art Center in Beacon, New York, a 127,000 square foot interdisciplinary hub for exhibitions, performance, and artistic dialogue. The gallery also maintains a strong global presence through participation in major international art fairs. Across all platforms, Ethan Cohen Gallery curates museum-quality shows, nurtures cross-cultural dialogue, and remains committed to discovering and amplifying radical, relevant, and resonant art.

About The KuBe Art Center:

Established in 2011, The KuBe (Kunsthalle Beacon) is a 127,000 square foot art center located in Beacon New York at the site of a former high school. The KuBe Art Center includes the Joan Lebold Cohen and Jerome A. Cohen Center for Visual Arts, The Chongmao and Zheng Ruyu Theater, which hosts experimental community film, theater, and dance projects. Additionally, The Kube provides 48 artists' studios, and commercial office spaces which have hosted a variety of community-based business ranging from puppeteers to political campaign headquarters. In 2023 the KuBe Art Center received The Arts Mid-Hudson Arts Organization Executive Arts Award. We wish to extend an invitation to you to join the Hudson Valley community in Beacon to discover our emerging incubator and visit exhibitions of internationally acclaimed artists in our expansive galleries.

Press Contacts: Donna Mikkelsen – donna@ecfa.com | Lara Kamhi – lara@ecfa.com