AKAA Art Fair 2025

We are very excited to announce that OpenArtExchange will be participating in AKAA Art Fair Paris 2025! From the 23rd to 26th of October, we will be presenting a selection of contemporary African art at this premier international fair, bringing together artists, collectors, and galleries from around the world.

Over AKAA

AKAA – Also Known As Africa – is een van Europa's toonaangevende kunstbeurzen die is gewijd aan hedendaagse Afrikaanse kunst en design. Het biedt een levendig platform voor gevestigde en opkomende Afrikaanse kunstenaars, en verbindt hen met verzamelaars, curatoren en galeries in een boeiende en dynamische omgeving.

Onze presentatie

Bij onze booth (B2) kunnen bezoekers nieuwe werken ontdekken van de Beninse kunstenaars Marcel Kpoho en Benjamin Deguenon. Beide werken duwen de grenzen van expressie en storytelling.

• Marcel Kpoho (1988, Porto Novo) transforms recycled tire slices into masks and sculptures that delve into the complexities of human nature. His work reflects both the darkest and most glorious aspects of humanity.
• Benjamin Deguenon (1982) creates ceramic sculptures, paintings, and drawings that blend human and animal forms into hybrid beings. His work explores themes of identity, transformation, and the human condition through expressive, figurative forms.

Our Booth Story

At the heart of our presentation lies the exploration of duality, within human nature, and within life itself. The works of Marcel Kpoho and Benjamin Deguenon engage in an ongoing dialogue between man and nature, but also within the self. Both artists can confront the darker aspects of existence, not as something to be feared or avoided, but as a part of what makes us human. Their art invites reflection on hou we can acknowledge and harness these inner shadows, transforming them into understanding, balance, and strength. 

Kpoho's sculptural practice, rooted in the transformation of recycled materials, exposes the raw, elemental aspects of our shared humanity. In contrast, Deguenon's hybrid figures often carry an unexpectedly endearing presence, revealing a gentler, more introspective dimension of this duality. Kpoho and Deguenon remind us that light and darkness can coexist, and that it is in their tension that true humanity emerges. 

Check out our booth viewing room!