Africell launches gallery and art space in Angola

10A is a versatile exhibition space and studio designed to give opportunities to local artists to promote their work

Image: the opening exhibition at 10A included work from Mozambican artist Goncalo Mabunda

18 October 2023 – Africell Angola has launched 10A, a brand-new private gallery, art space and studio in Luanda, with an innovative exhibition of sculpture, photography and literature from across Lusophone Africa.

10A is situated on the tenth floor of the Kings Tower, Africell’s distinctive high-rise head office close to the ‘Marginal’ in Angola’s capital city. Fitted to international standards, 10A is an initiative of the Africell Impact Foundation. It is designed to be a home for Africell’s growing collection of contemporary African art and provides a state-of-the-art environment for emerging and established artists from Angola and the wider region to promote their work.

The opening exhibition focuses on ‘Connections’, highlighting interaction between different media and – indirectly – the power of connections forged through telecommunications. It features sculptural work of Goncalo Mabunda, a Mozambican artist famous for creating objects from military detritus; a selection of photographs by Paula Agostinho; and a multidisciplinary collaboration between Lisbon-based photographer Jordi Burch and celebrated Luanda-based writer Ondjaki. 

The Africell Impact Foundation connects African artists to the resources and opportunities needed to make an impact. Motivated by a belief in the power of African art and its relevance to contemporary global culture, the Foundation uses Africell’s resources, expertise and status as a popular technology brand to create bridges between African art and the wider world. 10A is the latest investment of the Africell Impact Foundation and offers a space like no other in Angola where creative expression, design, technology, research, innovation and entrepreneurship can come seamlessly together.

Image: 10A is a brand new gallery and art space on the tenth floor of Africell Angola's head office

“Angola’s artistic culture is incredibly dynamic,” says Marise Aoun, Manager of the Africell Impact Foundation. “As a brand, Africell seeks to understand and support the things that matter to our communities – which, in Angola, includes art. 10A is a flexible and versatile platform intended to create opportunities for ordinary people to experience and be inspired by Angola’s extraordinary creative output”.

In April, the Africell Impact Foundation launched an artist residency programme in Luanda, in collaboration with ANGOLA AIR. In August, the Africell Impact Foundation hosted a first-of-its-kind pop-up exhibition for artists and galleries in Luanda, including Ela-Espaco, This Is Not a White Cube, and MOVART. The Africell Impact Foundation has also supported Africell’s ongoing partnership in Angola with NBA Africa and – further afield – has sponsored Africa-focused exhibitions, galleries and installations in Kinshasa, Freetown, Paris, London, New York, Washington D.C, Kingston, and elsewhere.

Africell launched mobile network services in Angola in April 2022. The company has since earned almost ten million subscribers, and its 5G-enabled services are available in Luanda, Benguela, Huíla and Cuanza Sul. Afrimoney, its mobile money platform, launched in Angola in April 2023. Africell is the only US-owned mobile network operator in Africa and boasts the US Government as its biggest external investor.

Image: 10A is designed to be the go-to contemporary arts venue in Luanda