Performance Arts is one of Zikora’s 6 creative branches. It is directed by afrosoul/afrofolk indie singer-songwriter Tosin “Tosinger” Taiwo.
Africa has a deep tradition of performance arts, and is often interconnected with spirituality and everyday life.
Though they may not be formally recognized with the name, masquerade dances and the expressive ritual ceremonies of spiritualists across Africa are indeed part of the continent’s heritage of performance art.
Performance arts is a genre in which artworks are created through actions performed by the artist or other participants, which may be live or recorded, spontaneous or scripted. Oftentimes, the art is presented "live," usually by the artist but sometimes with collaborators or performers.
It has had a role in avant-garde art throughout the 20th century, playing an important part in anarchic movements such as Futurism and Dada. We have kicked off our very first performance arts project! Click here to learn more.

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Indeed, whenever artists have become discontented with conventional forms of art, such as painting and traditional modes of sculpture, they have often turned to performance as a means to rejuvenate their work.

The genre of performance arts has largely been welcomed into the conventional museums and galleries from which it was once excluded. Performance art has been used to also describe film, video, photographic and installation-based artworks through which the actions of artists, performers or the audience are conveyed.

To name a few, some of our favorite performance artists include jaamil olawale kosoko, Nelisiwe Xaba, Germaine Acogny, Jelili Atiku, Mamela Nyamza, Senga Nengudi, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Wura-Natasha Ogunji, David Hammons, Laolu NYC, Qudus Onikeku, Lorraine O’Grady, Manthe Ribane, Jean-Ulrick Désert, Lyle Ashton Harris, Ato Malinda and Lyle Ashton Harris.