Table Series: Kami Gahiga

...Kami curates exhibitions and regularly contributes to art publications on the field of contemporary African art.

I can't quite recall when I first met Kami, but following the universe she operates in has been nothing short of enlightening.

Even before school, Kami was surrounded by art while growing up. Her parents have been collecting contemporary art from around the world for as long as she can remember. Beyond just a colorful home, her family acquired both the art and books providing context - on the art work, artists, or art movements. This educational approach became the foundation for Kami's understanding of the art world.

This was the seed to her passion and love for art, one her father planted by bringing her to exhibitions as early as she can remember.

While studying global politics and international affairs in college, including critical courses in art history, Kami also became active in the art acquisitions committee of the University of Toronto art collection. A talk given by Dr. Kenneth Montague, a Canadian art collector, had a significant influence on her outlook on contemporary African art.

With a friend, she noticed a lack of diversity in the university's collection. They proposed a body of work by international artists that had not been on the radar of the university, including a photographic work by Eritrean-Canadian photographer Dawit Petros which joined the University art collection, the first work by an African artist they acquired.

With her father's support, Kami pursued a Master’s degree in Art Business at Sotheby’s Institute of Art, a coveted niche globally.

Kami's thesis research focused on contemporary African art, though she found relatively minimal publications or theory in the library of the institute. For her thesis, she examined the sustainability of the contemporary African art market, and how collectors, especially those of African descent and even international collectors were contributing to the sustainability of the field.

With an open and responsible mindset, she advances the field through advising, writing, and exploration. Her fulfillment comes through this purposeful work

In addition to her role as Head of VIP & Galleries at 1-54 contemporary African art fair, Kami curates exhibitions and regularly contributes to art publications on the field of contemporary African art.

(1-54 CTP African art fair, largest fair dedicated to show works by artists from Africa and the diaspora has been around since 2012-13 and was another source of influence that inspired her to delve deeper into the field of contemporary African art)

In the art world, writings provide critical context, making work understandable. Through her contributions Kami seeks to expand knowledge on contemporary African art.

Driven to extend contemporary African art's reach, Kami moves forward optimistically. Over coffee, her zeal for the field's future always proves infectious. I look forward to the horizons she, Touria, and others will unfold. Like following a new constellation, their connective work illuminates fresh perspectives waiting to be discovered.