International Artist's Day: 5 African Artists You Should Know

Since the early 1990s, Africa has experienced a period of creative flowering as an increasing number of international galleries over the world has opened their doors to African exhibitions. In honor of the International Day of the Artist on October 25, Sputnik Africa lists some of the numerous African artists that you should know.

Included in the 2023 Time 100 list of the world's most influential people, this Ghanaian sculptoris known for his "bottle-top installations", which consist of thousands of pieces of aluminum sourced from recycling stations. He sews the small objects together with copper wire, creating fabric-like metallic wall sculptures.

Kenyan artist Wangechi Mutu is member of the Afro-futurist movement. She mixes African cultural references with elements of science fiction to create disturbing and intriguing characters.

William Kentridge is a South African artist known for his charcoal drawings. Influenced by the difficult history of his country, which has suffered from the brutal apartheid regime, his work is not just full of emotions, but also conveys a political message.

Julie Mehretu is an Ethiopian-American contemporary visual artist known for her multi-layered paintings of large-scale and abstract landscapes. Her art is described as focusing on the cumulative effects of socio-political change in modern cities.

Congolese painter Cheri Samba is one of the mostwell-known artists to emerge from the Central African country. His striking cartoon-like figurative and colorful works explore and satirize everyday life in Congo.