Elsa Åkesson in Conversation with Co-Founder of Loft Art Gallery, Yasmine Berrada
Yasmine Berrada, an inspiring young art world entrepreneur, co-founded the well-recognised Loft Art Gallery in Casablanca, Morocco at the age of 25 alongside her sister Myriem. Having gained the recognition of Apollo Magazine’s 40 Under 40 Africa, today the gallery specialises in early career, mid-career, and established artists from Africa and its diaspora.
To learn more about her journey through the art world, MADE IN BED’s former 2020-21 Editor In Chief Elsa Åkesson caught up with Yasmine to discuss the particulars of the current art market, specifically focusing on African art.
Yasmine Berrada.
Elsa Åkesson: How did you first decide to open an art gallery focusing on the promotion of African art?
Yasmine Berrada: We founded Loft Art Gallery twelve years ago. It’s curious that I actually come from the world of finance. I studied Economics in Paris and initially worked in the Stock Exchange market and asset management. Later, by chance, my sister and I decided to embrace the artistic field and take up this challenging adventure. Our love for art is innate and mainly derives from the familiar context. In fact, our dad used to collect valuable works of art and, little by little, this became part of our universe as kids. Together we instinctively honed our vision of art, which finally led us to set up our project constructively.
EÅ: Was there a particular reason why you decided to focus solely on African art?
YB: I hadn’t exclusively decided to focus on African art–however as a Moroccan gallery I first started with modern Moroccan artists. It was only then that I organically turned to contemporary Moroccan art and all its different forms of expression that are manifested today. Morocco lately being an economic platform of the African continent, I wanted to have artists throughout the continent communicate with one another. It’s so very interesting to create dialogues between them. The African artistic scene is incredibly rich and dynamic, and there is still much work to do in the latter. I’m very passionate about it. I want to promote it, seeing as the art scene is so fascinating.
Mous Lamrabat’s solo show at Loft Art Gallery.
EÅ: African art can be considered a hot topic in the art world today–you were a part of the rise when the movement just started. Could you tell us a bit about this?
YB: As aforementioned, I hadn’t started off with the idea to have my gallery focus on one specific art form, or confine it to one specific country, or artists from said country. I like to think that I’m one of those people who believe that art is a vector of communication, allowing dialogue between different cultures and traditions from all kinds of different countries. As it turns out, during meetings we were utterly mesmerised by the talent of several African artists. I do think it’s important to defend it on a bigger scale, an international one that is. In fact, the African art scene is one that is a subject of interest, outside of the continent itself. I think if we’ve been here from the beginning, it’s because we’re always up to date with what’s going on; whether it be in terms of events, fairs and so on–we’re always here to promote our artists.
EÅ: Do you think the interest in African art is here to stay?
YB: Personally, I believe that the African art scene is beaming with extraordinary talent. I think that the interest that collectors have nursed in African art is not going away. In fact, it’s just starting. Naturally, the market is very attractive given that the prices are quite affordable. During the past few years, we’ve been witnessing an explosion in terms of prices in a very short term and this shows that it’s a real trend. Of course, I do advise investing in young African artists. Although, I will say that the collectors of African art are not only from the continent but rather from all over the world. I would even say that the international client base is more important in this market. It’s not only about huge clients, but also about notorious institutions and museums around the world.
Le Jardin En Soi at Loft Art Gallery featuring works by Amina Agueznay and Joana Choumali.
EÅ: Do you collect African art yourself?
YB: I am, in fact, a collector. I’m often frustrated when I’m unable to buy more seeing as there are many gems at the moment.
EÅ: What would you say is the best way of meeting new artists for your gallery?
YB: There is no specific way to meet artists, every encounter varies from the other–and each one has its own story. Albeit, I do think that above all; human interaction is an important factor. Meaning that I need to be on the same page with the artist and share the same values. It’s all about the vibe!
Le Jardin En Soi at Loft Art Gallery featuring works by Amina Agueznay and Joana Choumali.
EÅ: What do you think is missing or needed in the art world to continue supporting African art?
YB: As a gallery, it’s our duty to promote artists to not only collectors but also to notorious museums around the world. It’s what we do on a daily basis. We try to display our artists as much as we can in museums. Our job is not only to commercialise the artists and their work but also to help them be understood, defend them and give them their spot in the artistic scene. We’ve shyly approached digital, however, ever since lockdown we have watched the latter grow at an unprecedented rate, thus becoming a huge part of the job. Today, the digital aspect is incredibly important. The new world compels us to meet clients in new ways. During the last two years, we were obliged to cancel physical meetings with clients several times, which is why the digitalisation of our job became a crucial aspect in regards to our gallery’s survival. We’re present on many platforms both digitally and physically and we’re able to participate in international fairs. This gallery’s strength is being able to create trust; meaning that the client can make purchases even from a distance.
EÅ: For new galleries looking to focus on African art, do you think there is still space for them to grow in the market?
YB: Generally speaking–and this is the case for our gallery, we’re used to working on the artists’ careers and supporting them throughout their journey; we manage them, we promote them. We manage numerous artists with different personalities and stories, and the question we always ask ourselves is: how do we combine their universe with the gallery’s DNA? I think the most important thing is to continue defending quality artists and their work in order to [increase visibility] on an international scale. As long as artists continue to create, there will always be a place for newer galleries. The advice that I would give to a young artist–and to any artist actually–is to not rush their work. One should work with a gallery that understands them, defends them sincerely, and takes their time while working as opposed to hurrying.
Thanks to Yasmine Berrada on behalf of MADE IN BED.
Elsa Åkesson
Contributing Writer, MADE IN BED