THIS NOT A WHITE CUBE is an international contemporary art gallery simultaneously based in Luanda and Lisbon, Portugal. Representing and collaborating with emergent and established artists, the gallery focuses primarily on narratives associated with the African continent and its diaspora. Beyond its deep connection to Africa — and with a pioneering spirit of decompartmentalization and inclusiveness, cheerfully favoring intercultural dialogues — THIS NOT A WHITE CUBE is the first African gallery in Portugal to open its collaborative circle to both local artists and artistic productions from the Global South, including Brazil and non-lusophone African countries.
THIS NOT A WHITE CUBE extends its dynamic activities to several institutional and independent spaces with the organization of ambitious collective exhibitions outside the gallery’s walls. On these occasions, the gallery invites external curators, associations or other art galleries to collaborate, thus promoting innovative associations and cultural enrichment while providing unexpected opportunities for artists.
Founded in Luanda by Sónia Ribeiro in 2016, the gallery quickly became a leader in Angola’s artistic and cultural panorama. It was in 2019 that the project expanded to Chiado, one of Lisbon’s most emblematic neighborhoods. Given Portugal's historical relationships with Africa and its strategic location as a gateway to Europe, the country’s capital was considered a natural location for this first growth stage.
Both exhibition spaces have independent programs, offering collectors and amateurs a relevant and compelling selection of contemporary artists working across a wide diversity of media and techniques. Since its creation, the gallery has remained true to one of its primary goals, that of allowing artists to share, through their work, their unique perspectives on the World. Throughout an extensive yearly program that includes regular exhibitions in Portugal and Angola along with constant participations in numerous international art fairs, attention is drawn to topics such as globalization, identity, memory, cultural heritage, and social changes.
Its three directors, Sónia Ribeiro (CEO), Graça Rodrigues (Curator) and Ngoi Salucombo (Executive director of the Angolan delegation) have a singular entrepreneurial and artistic vision based on a solid curatorial and collaborative approach. In 2019, the gallery founded "O CUBO", a non-profit platform that seeks to boost experimentation and research through the development of artistic residencies, editorial projects, archive mapping, and the establishment of a network of local and international partnerships. While furthering its expansion and the development of its fruitful connections worldwide, the gallery presented several international exhibitions, including South Africa, France, Italy, Serbia, Morocco and the UK
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1-54 MARRAKECH IS STARTING!! - Solo Show by Maya-Inès Touam
February 3, 2023 -
CAPE TOWN ART FAIR 2023
17 - 19 February 2023Through this project, the gallery aims to generate a dialogue between countries with colonial and historical affinities, reflecting on the concept of decoloniality and seeking to promote a reflection on... -
1-54 CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN ART FAIR MARRAKECH 2023
Solo Show by Maya-Inès Touam 9 - 12 February 20231-54 Contemporary African Art Fair is delighted to announce its in-person return to Marrakech after three years, set to take place over four days from 9 – 12 February 2023... -
The NESR Foundation
November 5, 2022 -
Cássio Markowski exhibits in Portuguese lands
January 1, 2023 -
There Was A Time When I Could Be Anything
26 November 2022 - 25 January 2023THIS IS NOT A WHITE CUBE gallery presents on November 26th, in Lisbon, 'There Was A Time When I Could Be Anything” - a solo exhibition by Cássio Markowski. The... -
REFLECT #2: FRAGMENTS, FRAGILITIES, MEMORIES The Museum of African Art, Belgrade
September 15, 2022 -
Francisco Vidal | 1-54 Art Fair London: Six Favourite Exhibits
October 16, 2022
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