As artificial intelligence continues to shape our daily lives, it’s no surprise that artists are leveraging technology to explore the nuances of human experience. This year’s most compelling exhibitions, according to Frieze’s top 10 list, showcase innovative curatorial visions that challenge traditional boundaries in contemporary art. Here are highlights from the list, including exhibitions by Nolan Oswald Dennis, Lindokuhle Sobekwa, and Gallery 1957.
Nolan Oswald Dennis – ‘UNDERSTUDIES’ at Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town
Nolan Oswald Dennis’s first solo museum exhibition in South Africa, UNDERSTUDIES, opened this October at Zeitz MOCAA, interrogating the intersections of geology and cosmology. The exhibition transforms everyday educational tools like globes and lenses into experimental sculptures, such as mutated earth globes crafted from gourds and rock-embedded lenses. The site-specific column Xenolith (Letsema) (2024), composed of compacted soil, exemplifies Dennis’s collaborative approach, involving museum staff in its creation. By reimagining how art is produced and perceived, Dennis reshapes objects’ didactic roles into arenas of rehearsal and innovation.
Lindokuhle Sobekwa – Johannesburg Art Gallery
Lindokuhle Sobekwa’s evocative photography, such as Luvo in the Garden I and Luvo in the Garden II (2021), captures profound moments of human connection with nature. Sobekwa’s subtle use of color and light draws viewers into intimate settings, where male figures and natural elements coalesce in harmonious compositions. His other works, like Ngqeleni(2021), blur the lines between abstraction and familiarity, inviting audiences to rediscover everyday surroundings through a lens of wonder and introspection.
‘Keeping Time’ – Gallery 1957, Accra
Gallery 1957’s group show, Keeping Time, highlights the works of Ghanaian artists and members of the African diaspora while dismantling Eurocentric historical frameworks. This sequel to In and Out of Time (2023), curated by Ekow Eshun, features renowned artists like Amoako Boafo and Modupeola Fadugba alongside fresh voices such as Alvaro Barrington. The exhibition defies linear readings of history and underscores Ghana’s growing prominence as a hub for portraiture and contemporary art.
Global Highlights
Other notable exhibitions include Ei Arakawa-Nash’s bold showcase at the National Art Center in Tokyo, Ian Cheng’s thought-provoking works at Gladstone Gallery in Seoul, and Rindon Johnson’s innovative presentation at the Rockbund Art Museum in Shanghai. The women-centered Green Snake: Women-Centred Ecologies at Tai Kwun Contemporary in Hong Kong and Foreshadows at Beirut Art Center in Lebanon further expand the global narrative of contemporary art in 2024.
From Cape Town to Hong Kong, these exhibitions illuminate how art continues to push boundaries, engaging audiences in timely conversations about identity, history, and the evolving role of technology.
