Mother of Mankind | ADA Contemporary Art Gallery

Founded in 2020 within the capital of Ghana, Accra, the ADA Contemporary Art Gallery has been helping maintain and support emerging artists. The focus lies particularly in a support system for African artists and the African diaspora. In the seemingly short time since its creation, the ADA has supported a plethora of artists completely new to the field, spanning a multitude of mediums. Covering and hosting everything from solo exhibitions to art fairs to philanthropic events, the center makes use of every moment. In an extra step of widening the artist’s platform, the work is also explorable virtually as well as physically.

The ADA’s newest endeavor is a partnership with the world-renowned House of Fine Arts, HOFA, in their London-based center. The show, entitled Mother of Mankind, is a brilliant testament and reflection of the core of the ADA’s purpose. Mother of Mankind is an all-female collection, consisting of 18 new artists, centered on the representation of Black women. It explores many facets of the representation of black femininity, under the lens of gender, identity, sexuality, and society as a whole.

“Mother of Mankind is a play on Mother Nature and Mother Earth. Referencing ‘Eve’ as the original first woman it pays homage to the sisterhood of the artists who are often forgotten - Black female artists. It was important to bring together these artists as there are not many platforms showcasing young, talented black female artists at the early stages of their careers,” says Adora Mba, the contemporary art curator and owner of ADA.

Mother of Mankind features newly established but rapidly rising stars such as Emma Premph, Abebumni Gbadebo, and Jamilla Okubo. The show, available or viewing from July 22nd to August 31st, entirely deconstructs and reconstructs the tropes of representation fo black women. For more information on the upcoming exhibit, visit HOFA.