The Accra-based Gallery 1957 has made history: it has launched an art prize devoted to increasing the visibility of African female artists on the international art scene. Its name “Yaa Asantewaa” derived from the queen mother of Ejisu in the Ashanti Empire, now part of modern day Ghana. Yaa Asantewaa (1840 – 1921) led the Ashanti war known as the “War of the Golden Stool” against British colonialism.

Gallery 1957 presents leading artists working across West Africa and the diaspora and it was launched by Marwan Zakhem, a Lebanese businessman, on Ghana Independence Day in 2016. The nation was the first Sub Saharian state to obtain freedom (6 March 1957), as they remembered in 2019 Venice Biennale Pavillon.

It was the first time that Ghana partecipated to the International Art Exhibition and the artists exposed were Felicia Abban, John Akomfrah, El Anatsui, Ibrahim Mahama, Selasi Awusi Sosu, Lynette Yiadom-Boakye.

This year Ghana has celebrated its 64th anniversary, with a stable economic situation, a risen level of instruction and one of the highest life expectancies on the continent. Of course Covid-19 pandemic has caused numerous problems, but the prospects are solid. Also the art sector is finding its path to development.

Unfortunately the Ghanaian traditional culture remains strictly patriarchal and female artists are often restricted from being able to dedicate themselves to their artistic practices in the way their male counterparts can.





Therefore Gallery 1957 has decided to celebrate its fifth anniversary given birth to Yaa Asantewaa Art Prize. The open call is dedicated to female and self-identifying female artists based in Ghana or belonging to the Ghanaian diaspora.

Actually Gallery 1957 has two gallery spaces within Accra and one in London (opened in 2020). Its main goal is to widespread contemporary West African art all over the world. It’s the first Ghanaian contemporary art gallery to operate internationally.
The jury of the prize is well designed, formed by art fairs and galleries directors, artists, collectors and writers. First of all we have the Lebanese businessman and owner of Gallery 1957 Marwan Zakhem, the British writer and columnist Afua Hirsch, the Ghanaian figurative painter Amoako Boafo, the art collector Charlotte Newman, the director of the London Chisenhale Gallery Zoe Whitley, the founder of 1-54 Art Fair Touria El Glaoui and the Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama.





The awards will be three: GH₵40,000 ($7,000), alongside an artist residency and exhibition at Gallery 1957 in 2021, GH₵20,000 ($3,500) and GH₵15,000 ($2,500) will be offered to two runners up.

Applications will close on 31 May 2021 and the winner will be announced in August 2021.

Yaa Asantewaa Art Prize goal is to help the country’s female artists who are striving to have their work seen and collected on the international stage.
Our hope is that more initiatives like this will appear in the next future. The road is drawn.