Ethos² Gallery: Diasporic Art & Access
Bridging the Diaspora – In Living Color
“Almost Hendrix”
Jared Aufrichtig x Ryan Shava
How Art from the Diaspora Has Shaped Art Basel—and the Future That Awaits
Once upon a time, the global art world looked through a narrow lens. For decades, Art Basel - one of the world’s most influential art fairs - was seen as a showcase for European and American perspectives, with the African and diasporic voice relegated to the margins. But art has a way of breaking boundaries, and the diaspora has always spoken in color, texture, rhythm, and resistance.
From Harlem to Harare, from Lagos to London, Black and African-descended artists have steadily reshaped the language of contemporary art—transforming Art Basel from an elite marketplace into a global conversation.
In the early 2000s, the first murmurs of inclusion began. Artists such as Yinka Shonibare, Chris Ofili, and Wangechi Mutu disrupted Eurocentric narratives by infusing identity, migration, and memory into the visual vocabulary. By the 2010s, galleries from Africa and the Caribbean—Goodman Gallery, Stevenson, Mariane Ibrahim, and others—were no longer guests at the table; they were redefining it.
Today, at Art Basel Miami Beach, the diaspora doesn’t just participate—it leads. The presence of African and diasporic curators, collectors, and cultural voices has transformed the fair into something far more dynamic: a living archive of global Black creativity.
Each year, the dialogue deepens. Afro-futurism meets ancestral symbolism. Digital artists reinterpret traditional craft. Caribbean abstraction flirts with West African modernism. What was once “emerging” is now essential.
And the future?
It’s luminous.
As Ethos² Gallery steps into this evolving landscape, our mission is to bridge the diaspora—in living color. We see art not just as commodity or collection, but as connection: a means to circulate ideas, empower artists, and create access across continents.
Our first focus will be on two Zimbabwean artists, mentored in South Africa, whose bold works place them on the frontier of next-Gen creative pioneers.
From Cape Town to Miami, from the continent to the Caribbean, Ethos² Gallery: Diasporic Art & Access will serve as a conduit—showcasing artists whose work transcends borders, amplifies legacy, and celebrates the infinite spectrum of the African imagination.
The world is finally seeing what we have always known:
The future of contemporary art is diasporic.
And the future is now.
Jared Aufrichtig x Ryan Shava
“Almost Hendrix”
Artwork size - 21 × 15 2/5 in
Acrylic, gouache, oil, ink, watercolor, spray paint, Sakura solid state marker, pencil and correction pen on Fabriano fine art cotton rag
Framed in French Oak
For purchase inquiries please contact Info@EthosSquared.com
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