Okwui Enwezor's Impact - (Southern) African Contemporary Art in the International Art Market from 2015 to 2020

A segment of the African art market demonstrated growth in the last decade in both the West and Africa. Art exhibits, followed by art manifestations such as the Biennales and finally auction sales, witnessed and propelled the rise of the African art market at a global level. In this ascent, curators played an actively vital role in the internationalization of the African market, especially in the Southern part of the continent; it is important to note that some countries had experienced political issues that enveloped the contemporary artistic world until the beginning of the nineties. While most studies focus on measuring auctions sales results of artists from Africa countries as the primary indicators of the increase of the African art market at a global level, this chapter evaluates the impact of curators as an additional indication of the rise of the Sub-Saharan Africa art market, specifically those belonging to the South African Development Community (SADC). It delves into the complex system of African artists’ institutionalization by investigating the endeavors of curators as driving agents for the increased presence of the Southern African States contemporary art market in both the West and in Africa.