Traversées Africaines : celebrates Five Years of vibrancy in African Contemporary Art in Paris
Now a reoccurring must see in Paris’s spring art calendar, Traversées Africaines, initiated by the association Pour l’Art, Pour l’Afrique and led by Delphine Goater and Grigori Michel returns for its fifth anniversary edition. The event presents an ambitious and thoughtful journey through 24 original exhibitions, celebrating the vitality of contemporary African creation and its diaspora. This year’s highlights include artists exhibiting in Paris for the first time, with a strong focus on emerging voices, transmission, and the renewal of narratives.
Quête de Libération, Geordan Bouhom, 2025
Launched in 2019 at the initiative of the Pour l’Art, Pour l’Afrique association, Traversées Africaines celebrates its fifth anniversary this year with a major edition. From May 13 to June 1, 2025, this now-unmissable event offers a rich itinerary of 24 exhibitions across galleries, museums, and institutions in Paris and the Île-de-France region.
A landmark gathering for African contemporary art
Traversées Africaines stands out as a rare and essential platform, placing Paris once again at the heart of contemporary African and diasporic narratives. For its 2025 edition, the 5th, the festival shines a light on an emerging, bold, and forward creativity, one that brings forth fresh narratives and powerful artistic gestures. The initiative thus reaffirms its mission: to encourage the renewal of forms and the transmission of legacies. Whether experienced as a journey for the initiated or a field of discovery for the curious, the event offers a sensitive path through works that explore plural memories, spirituality, identity, the environment, and notions of kinship.
From Silence to Song
Founded in 2019 by Yves Jégo and Grigori Michel, Pour l’Art, Pour l’Afrique association initially set out to develop a project of nomadic, traveling artist residencies. This initiative, however, was abruptly halted by the pandemic. It was in this unprecedented context that the outlines of the Traversées Africaines festival began to take shape. As Delphine Goater, co-founder of the festival, recalls: “Traversées Africaines was born in response to the Covid-19 crisis. Originally conceived to support the reopening of galleries, and later museums, the festival aimed to encourage the public to return to art spaces after months of lockdown.” The festival’s first official edition was thus held in the spring of 2021.
2025 Edition highlights
This year, the public is invited to explore a trail of 24 exhibitions across Paris and the Île-de-France region. Among the highlights of this edition: Élise Tokoudagba unveils the spiritual and symbolic treasures of Benin at Galerie Vallois, while Jérôme Lagarrigue presents an emotionally charged figurative body of work at Olivier Waltzman. Joseph Kojo Hoggar delves into the red turbans of royalty at Christophe Person, while Eli Made takes us on an introspective journey at Galerie Angalia. Also of note is Famakan Magassa at Sabine Bayili, whose work radiates tenderness, compassion, and humanity, and a celebratory duo show by Moses Mouss and Sisqo Ndombe at Hoop Galerie (now at its new address).
A special mention goes to the French Institute of Cameroon, in collaboration with Galerie La La Lande, which is participating in Traversées Africaines with the collective exhibition Ces Mondes Vibratoires. Featuring artists Jean David Knot, Elie fils de Bekolo Bekolo, Geordan Bouhom, Dieudonné Djiela, and Ernest Dizoumbe Oumarou, this show sits at the intersection of memory and imagined futures. Curated by Grigori Michel, it fully embodies the transnational spirit of the event: an open, rigorous, and forward-looking vision. In Saint-Ouen, visitors can discover the symbolic works of Alex Ayivi, winner of the 2024 Traversées Africaines Prize.
Once again this year, Traversées Africaines brings together artists, curators, gallerists, collectors, and institutions in a dynamic of exchange and circulation of artworks between Paris and its surrounding areas. Across venues and narratives, a sensitive cartography of contemporary African creation emerges. The success of the event continues to grow, with around fifty partner galleries. Among the longstanding supporters are Éric Dupont, Nathalie Dupont, and Bernard Utudjian (Galerie Polaris), joined by many others, whether or not they specialize in African contemporary art. As Delphine Goater notes:
“We can see that African contemporary art is firmly rooted in the Parisian art landscape, and that galleries are supporting artists’ development over the long term. In the early editions, Troy Makaza was exhibiting in a modest showroom—today, he is representing Zimbabwe at the Venice Biennale. Other artists who have already made their mark continue to expand their reach, such as Moffat Takadiwa, Willys Kezi, and Roméo Mivékannin. And this edition also shines a spotlight on the new generation, including Eli Made and Alex Ayivi”
Traversées Africaines 2025
Finally, this year Traversées Africaines resonates alongside other major highlights of the season, such as WAX at the Musée de l’Homme and Paris Noir at the Centre Pompidou, contributing to a broader dialogue around African aesthetics and memories.
More than just a parcours, Traversées Africaines asserts itself as a living tribute to the artistic dynamics of the African continent and its diasporas—a call to reconsider the geographies of art and to bring new narratives to light.
Traversées Africaines 2025 is made possible thanks to the support of its partners: 193 Gallery, ArtFrofest × Les centres Paris Anim’ du 12e arrondissement, Centre Pompidou, Enseigne des Oudin, Institut Français du Cameroun, La Galerie Africaine, Galerie Angalia, Galerie Cécile Dufay, Galerie CHRISTOPHE PERSON, Galerie Eric Dupont, Galerie MAGNIN-A, Galerie Mariton, Galerie Marion Chauvy, Galerie Olivier Waltman, Galerie Sabine Bayasli, Galerie Sultan, Galerie Vallois (e35), Galerie Vallois (e41), Hoop Galerie, Musée de l’Homme, Quai de la Photo, and Studio Pellosh.
Join us from May 13 to June 1, 2025, at the partner galleries and institutions to explore this innovative journey. Also available on Pour l’Art, Pour l’Afrique.
