The Art of Contemporary Africa will open in Dogpatch at Minnesota Street Project
Gallerist Craig Mark and artist Clint Strydom will open the Art of Contemporary Africa Feb. 12 at Dogpatch ’s Minnesota Street Project . Curators say the space will feature works by ceramicists, painters, photographers, sculptors and other talents from across the African continent.
The opening is a boon to San Francisco’s art scene and Minnesota Street Project following a string of local gallery closures late last year. Mark and Strydom are building on their past 10 years of experience running The Melrose Gallery, a South-Africa-based contemporary art showroom that will soon become the AOCA’s sister site. AOCA’s founders said their San Francisco opening allows them to continue providing African artists with a platform for engaging with American audiences through exhibitions and the conversations sparked by each piece. The gallery opening, they said, also adds to Dogpatch’s reputation as a creative hub. Gallery director Mark said the AOCA’s opening will allow him and Strydom “to better service our existing client base” while also introducing others to “the wealth of African creative talent.” AOCA launches Feb. 12 with an opening reception from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. for “Afropop,” its inaugural exhibition highlighting talents like acclaimed South African visual artist Esther Mahlangu and up-and-coming Ugandan painter Denis Mubiru. “Afropop” focuses on the ways in which people from the continent have emerged as cultural tastemakers through their exchanging of ideas. The new gallery opening is “a valuable opportunity for African contemporary artists like myself to expose our works to American audiences,” Mubiru said. “Very few platforms like this exist, as African artists have traditionally been underrepresented in this market.” Mark said recent developments made him and Strydom push ahead with their stateside opening. Young Africans are expected to make up 42% of the world’s youth population by 2030, and the continent is currently home to 1.5 billion people, according to data from the United Nations. Given those figures, Mark said that “it stands to reason that it is vital that the artists of Africa are given the opportunity to have their voices heard globally.” Ex // Top Stories State sends SF shelter system $40 million boost Latest round of grant funding will help The City operate about 1,000 short-term beds How Wiener’s AI safety bill is paving the way for other states Legislators elsewhere are copying and building on SB 53, which the state senator fought to get enacted for more than a year New SF anti-corruption leader still ‘finding justice, just in a different way’ Former federal prosecutor Alex Shepard, The City’s first-ever inspector general, is charged with preventing and rooting out fraud, waste and abuse in city government The AOCA’s launch “feels especially meaningful” for Strydom. In addition to Mahlangu and Mubiru, AOCA will feature artists like Ayanda Mabulu, Samuel Allerton and Vusi Beauchamp. “There’s a deep sense of trust and shared history,” Strydom said. “Seeing our work come together in a city like San Francisco, at a space as dynamic as Minnesota Street Project, feels like a real moment of arrival.” Four art venues closed last year at Minnesota Street Project, a group of galleries founded 10 years ago by philanthropists Andrew and Deborah Rappaport. The space helped local art spaces navigate a costly real estate landscape by offering below-market rent. Mark said that since its establishment in 2016, Minnesota Street Project has “built a solid reputation as a valuable cultural hub.” The gallery’s jam-packed calendar of exhibitions and workshops shows how San Francisco is still “a city that is so open and free to creative expression,” Mark said. Susan Eslick, the Dogpatch Art and Business Association’s treasurer and a neighborhood small business owner, said the community is excited to welcome AOCA to Dogpatch. “It’s another sign that our neighborhood continues to grow as a destination for arts and culture,” Eslick said. The forthcoming gallery could also become a reliable source of foot traffic and energy. Other MSP gallery openings and events already bring “great vibrancy to Dogpatch and attract new visitors who support our local restaurants and retailers,” Eslick said. Once the doors are open, Strydom said he hopes those who visit “Afropop” will “leave with a broader, more human understanding of contemporary African creativity.”
Minnesota Street Project Contemporary Art
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Beyond Kilimanjaro, here are 5 African peaks with epic viewsThe “Roof of Africa” is the continent’s most climbed peak—which often means trekking in the company of crowds. These five climbs offer under-the-radar alternatives with challenging trails and wild landscapes.
Read more »
ATFX raises the bar as Africa’s Best and Most Trusted Broker in 2026ATFX has been named “Best Broker Africa 2026” and “Most Trusted Broker Africa 2026” by International Investor Magazine, reaffirming its position as a leading fintech brokerage in the African market.
Read more »
Zijin to buy Canada’s Allied Gold for $4B in cashA takeover premium, African assets and soaring gold prices highlight how miners are chasing scale as consolidation accelerates.
Read more »
Nigerian military says officers will be tried after a probe found they carried out a coup plotThe Nigerian military says several of its officers will face trial for allegedly plotting to overthrow the West African nation’s government.
Read more »
Several Nigerian military officers will be tried on accusations they plotted a coupThe Nigerian military says several of its officers will face trial for allegedly plotting to overthrow the West African nation’s government.
Read more »
Mother Bethel AME: A Philadelphia first still making historyMother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church has stood at 6th and Lombard Streets for more than 230 years.It is the oldest parcel of land continuously owned by African Americans in the United States of America.
Read more »