[Catherine] My first addition to the collection was actually a commissioned piece by the French artist, Florence Hamelin. It’s a pastel of a photograph I took of Mamadou-Abou and my oldest son looking at the Arabian sea. A fantastic pastel capturing the bond between father and son. It was a birthday gift for Mamadou-Abou.

Before we dig into your collecting philosophy, tell us about how you discovered contemporary African art. How did you make that transition to contemporary art?

[Mamadou-Abou] I was always drawn to the arts. My father had a Zenith-E Russian camera from the 60s and he was taking fantastic pictures with it. I used to borrow his camera, acting as a professional photographer with my siblings and childhood friends. When I turned eighteen years old, my father gave me his old camera as a gift. That moment coincides with my interest and discovery of contemporary African photography.

When we eventually had the means, we were so eager to make the connection between our upbringing and an art collection, especially photography. From that first piece in Gabon, to where we are today, I’d say that we have a very eclectic collection from artists from around the world yet with a focus on photography from the African Diaspora.

For me, it’s important for African curators and cultural services within the continent, and outside with the diaspora, to tell a narrative that links objects to what they mean to us and ultimately to the world. There is nothing more powerful than letting people speak with their own voices.

So if were to reflect on our collection, we have French artists, we have African American artists, African artists from Benin to Senegal to Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, and other places from the continent. We have artists from the U.K., from Korea, from Germany and so many other places... We all have a different way of expressing ourselves through the arts but we’re all connected.

Earlier, you brought up an interesting point Catherine in terms of having a dialogue with the artists. When you make a purchase, do you think it’s important to understand where the artist was coming from?

We like to connect with artists. As an example, we’re hosting an art series in our home. We do that on a regular basis. The last artist featured was Alun Be. We invite curators, collectors, gallerists, and museum directors into our house to see our collection but also to listen to the artist talk about their work. We call it ‘French Delicacies and Art’.

Who's your favourite artist and why?

[Catherine] My favourite artist is Olafur Eliasson. He explores the elements—light, shape, geometry—and what’s very common to all of us, it transcends cultures. The power of light and the elements. He talks to me the most when I look at his art.

[Mamadou-Abou] Well mine is very complicated. I have hundreds and hundreds of artists in my head. For me, art is the only field where you don’t need to have favourites. They all strike a different part of my psyche. I look at my art pieces every single day and I have a lot of them on my phone.

I love the work of James Barnor for a lot of different reasons. I consider him to be the father of contemporary African photography—his work showcases life in everyday Ghana.