For Adriana La Lime ‘10, African art is more than just a professional pursuit—it's a window into history, culture, and human connection. As a specialist in the secondary art market focusing on contemporary African art, Adriana has dedicated her career to increasing visibility and understanding of African artists while helping to develop sustainable creative economies across the continent.
 
"We're not pushing something new," Adriana explains. "We're shining a brighter light on creativity that has always been there." This perspective comes from deep personal experience—Adriana spent much of her childhood in Africa, living in countries including Chad, Morocco, Mozambique, South Africa, and Angola between the ages of three and twenty-three.
 
A Path Shaped by Global Experience 
Adriana's journey to becoming an expert in African art was influenced by both family ties and educational opportunities. Her mother's diplomatic career as a U.S. Foreign Service officer meant frequent moves across the African continent, providing Adriana with unique insights into various African cultures and artistic traditions.
 
During her graduate studies in London, a professor encouraged her to write about something close to her heart that wasn't widely covered in academic literature. Drawing on her connection to Angola, where her mother had served as U.S. Ambassador, La Lime focused her research on the art market in lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) Africa. This academic foundation, combined with her lived experience, positioned her perfectly to help develop the emerging market for contemporary African art in her work as the Deputy Director of Specialist Modern and Contemporary African Art at Sotheby's in London from 2017-2024.
 
Fostering Understanding Through Art
Adriana's work goes beyond traditional market development. She sees art as a powerful tool for cultural dialogue and historical understanding. "Through creative expression, we can track the history of these countries and see the visual storytelling of that history," she notes. This approach provides insights into both individual nations and the connections between them, offering perspectives that might be missed in conventional historical accounts.
 
Her expertise extends across the continent, with particular attention to emerging artistic centers like Morocco, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Egypt. Each country presents unique opportunities and challenges. For instance, the DRC has one of the continent's most storied art histories and a prestigious art academy but faces challenges in developing local collecting practices. Morocco, meanwhile, benefits from established museums, galleries, and strong governmental support for the arts.
 
Building Sustainable Creative Economies
One of Adriana's primary goals is to help establish sustainable pathways for African artists. This involves working to strengthen local art markets while creating international connections. "When the creative economy is strong, there's more international interest and investment in these communities," she explains. This creates opportunities for artists and helps validate art as a viable career path for young people across the continent.
 
Her work involves extensive collaboration with museums, galleries, and educational institutions. She regularly conducts seminars for art students about market dynamics and career development, helping to bridge the gap between artistic creation and professional sustainability.
 
The Power of Cultural Exchange
Adriana credits her time at LAS with deepening her appreciation for international dialogue. "Being at LAS with such an international community gave me an appreciation for internationalism that I wouldn't have had otherwise," she reflects. This early exposure to diverse perspectives continues to influence her approach to building cross-cultural connections through art.
 
Looking ahead, Adriana envisions a future where African art markets are increasingly led from within the continent itself. She advocates for more museums, art schools, and educational programs that can provide greater access and opportunities for artists. Her work also focuses on expanding representation, particularly for women artists and those from underrepresented regions.
 
A Legacy of Connection
Through her work, Adriana demonstrates how art can serve as a bridge between cultures, helping to tell stories that might otherwise go untold. By developing sustainable art markets across Africa, she's not just supporting individual artists—she's helping to preserve and promote cultural heritage while building pathways for future generations of creative voices.
 
"When we can bring visibility to creativity that has always existed," Adriana concludes, "we create opportunities for dialogue, understanding, and growth that benefit everyone." In doing so, she continues to play a vital role in connecting African artists with global audiences while helping to strengthen the creative economies of their home countries.
 

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Adriana’s Picks: Five Trailblazing African Artists
Adriana has recommended five artists from across the continent of Africa whose work she admires. Read more about why Adriana finds them compelling—we hope you will check them out! 

Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga 
Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga’s art offers a compelling fusion of traditional Congolese visual language with contemporary influences. Hailing from Kinshasa, Africa’s third-largest urban area, Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga’s wider practice draws influence from an increasingly industrial and rapidly evolving technological world where historic ways of life and rituals of the Congolese people are under threat, resulting in a strain on communities resisting globalization in favor of maintaining cultural praxis associated with a bygone pre-colonial age. Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga's works can be found in the institutional collections of the Zeitz MOCAA, Cape Town, South Africa; the Hood Museum of Art, Hanover, USA; Pizzuti Collection of the Columbus Museum of Art, USA and the Norval Foundation, Cape Town, South Africa, amongst others. Find Eddy Kamuanga Ilunga on Instagram at @eddykamuanga.

Nengi Omuku 
Nengi Omuku’s art is a dynamic exploration of identity, the body, and cultural history, blending surreal imagery with bold, evocative colors that capture the complexities of African femininity. Fabric is central to her production, creating ethereal flowing wall hangings. Recently exhibited at London's largest contemporary art fair, Frieze London (Kasmin Gallery and Pippy Houldsworth Gallery), Nengi Omuku's work is quickly becoming a 'must have' for any collector in this field. Find Nengi Omuku on Instagram at @nengiomuku.

Amina Agueznay 
By blending traditional Moroccan craft techniques with contemporary artistic expression, Amina Agueznay creates intricate, thought-provoking pieces that explore themes of identity and Moroccan cultural heritage. Her innovative use of materials and commitment to preserving and evolving ancient art forms make her a pioneering figure in North African art, positioning her as an essential artist for collectors to follow. She is represented by Loft Gallery and recently had an impressive exhibition open in their Marrakech space. Find Amina Agueznay on Instagram at @aminaagueznay.

Zohra Opoku 
Zohra Opoku’s work pushes the boundaries of photography, textile, and performance to examine themes of identity, the body, and the complexities of belonging, particularly within the African diaspora. Based between Ghana and Germany, her exciting work was recently exhibited by Marian Ibrahim at Art Basel Paris 2024, Paris's most exciting contemporary art fair. Find Zohra Opoku on Instagram at @zohraopoku.

Elias Sime 
Ethiopian artist Elias Sime is known for creating intricate, large-scale works using recycled e-waste such as keyboards, electrical wiring, and motherboards, sourced from the Minalesh Tera Market in Addis Ababa. In this bustling marketplace, Sime sifts through discarded materials from across the globe, reflecting on their journey to the Ethiopian capital from wherever they were made. For the artist, even the smallest, most seemingly irrelevant material can tell a larger story—one of global interdependence and societal connectivity. 

Elias Sime's work has garnered significant recognition, with pieces featured in prestigious institutions such as The Met (New York); The Hood Museum (Dartmouth); The Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art (Kansas City); The Pizzuti Collection of Columbus Museum of Art (Columbus); The Royal Ontario Museum (Toronto); and The Norval Foundation (Cape Town). Sime is also the co-founder of Zoma Museum in Addis Ababa, an environmentally minded art center that opened in 2019.

 

 

Read the full Panorama here