Convelio partners with 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair and Christie’s, Paris

At Convelio, we started this year with an exciting partnership!

We have been working with 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair on their January edition which was hosted by Christie’s, Paris from 20th - 23rd January. This took the form of a small in person event, as well as an innovative online platform.

Although the 1-54 fair has always had a strong network of galleries and collectors from France, this is the first time they held an edition in Paris. The event was at Christie’s, Paris presenting works from 20 international galleries showcasing leading contemporary artists from Africa and its diaspora.

The fair went above and beyond to ensure the event was in line with social distancing measures and guidelines. It was a much more intimate affair than any previous edition, there were dedicated time slots, social distancing measures and a city wide curfew meant that there were no evening events. The event organisers implemented strict sanitary measures to ensure everyone’s health and security, including allocated VIP access, a one-way circuit through the fair where face masks must be worn throughout, hand-sanitising stations and limited capacity control at all times.

Convelio team delivering works for the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, at Christie’s Paris

1-54 Online

As well as the event, there was a platform, 1-54 Online, which was also hosted by Christie’s digital. This provided a virtual experience allowing visitors globally to encounter all works displayed by participating galleries. As a tech-enabled logistics company Convelio was supporting the fair both with its online and offline edition. Our shipping tool (Convelio’s API) was integrated onto this site, meaning buyers were able to organise their shipping, white-glove collecting, packing, shipping and delivery services, through the platform.

The digitally innovative, exciting three way partnership between Christie’s, 1-54 and Convelio celebrates collaboration and highlights new ways of working in the art world. Edouard Gouin, Convelio’s co-founder said, “Partnerships are becoming increasingly more important in the industry, as we find new ways of working and continue to learn from, and support one another. The event with 1-54, Christie’s and Convelio certainly highlights this.”

We were thrilled to have partnered with both 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair and Christie’s, Paris, to deliver this exciting event and innovative platform.