Young Contemporaries

The Young Contemporaries

The Young Contemporaries project which includes a residency and exhibition programme is dedicated to guiding and refining the work of early-career artists through a series of rigorous mentoring, residencies and exhibitions. Established in 2016, the YC project is committed to shaping the landscape of contemporary art in Africa through processes of nurturing and platforming that prioritise critical explorations of medium and narrative.

Since its inception, the Young Contemporaries program has gained prominence for showcasing some of the best artistic talents in Africa.

Our Selection Process

The Rele Arts foundation is pleased to present her annual young contemporary open call.
The Bootcamp is a 2-week intensive virtual class with leading artists and curators from across the continent as facilitators and mentors. The campers learn critical thinking, exploring a global artistic practice, establishing a social media presence, and how to care for and handle artworks amongst other things.
In collaboration with the Curator of painting and sculpture at MoMA Dr. Ugochukwu-Smooth Nzewi and The Ekiti state government, the residency gives ground for collective and individual mentorship sessions with the artists in residence, these sessions in turn lead to the birth of elevated methods of thinking and exciting visual interpretation of artistic ideas.
After a final selection, we present the annual Young Contemporaries exhibition. The exhibition showcases the cumulative effect of the boot camp and time spent in residence.