Our Story
Bringing remarkable work to the people who will treasure it.
Out of Africa is a marketplace for original work by African artists: a place where collectors, designers and galleries anywhere in the world can discover a piece, understand who made it, and make it part of their lives.
Why it exists
Many talented artists work far from the collectors who would value their work most. Selling beyond an immediate market takes reach, presentation and trust, things that are hard to build alone. Too often, extraordinary work is sold locally for a fraction of its worth.
The idea is simple: gather exceptional work in one carefully presented place, tell the stories of the people who make it, and make it straightforward for an international buyer to ask a question or buy.
What we hold to
The art comes first
Works are presented with room to breathe, photographed as they are, and never replaced with stock imagery.
The person behind it matters
Every artist is given a profile and a voice. A new artist receives the same presentation as an established one.
Honest by default
If a detail has not been confirmed, a title, a price, a material, we leave it out or say so, rather than fill the gap.
Project background
The project grew out of conversations between Sharyn Abbott and Adekanye Damilola about helping African artists reach a wider international audience. Sharyn introduced the idea, drawing on her earlier experience of promoting local artists' work to new audiences.
- Business idea & early strategy
- Sharyn Abbott
- Concept, design & development
- Adekanye Damilola
- First featured artist
- Stan Kisilu