partners
National Gallery of Art, Nigeria.
Art Galleries Association of Nigeria (AGAN)
2010 Edition of ArtExpo Nigeria.
The presentations of the 2010 edition of International ArtExpo Nigeria confirm that Nigerian visual art is progressing significantly in all ramifications. Unlike the previous editions, as common with other art fairs in other parts of the world, this edition is different with each art gallery presenting its own theme. This is deliberately organised to mark Nigeria’s 50th Independence anniversary, hence, it is tagged special edition. Themes packaged for the presentation are quite interesting and the entire presentation is excellent.
Art works presented and exhibited were quite excellent, the way and manner the works were displayed made the exhibition interestingly unique. Thirty private galleries participated, that is, two from outside the country and 28 from within. Those from outside the country include Midy Art Gallery from Cotonu and Atelier Ayeva Gallery from Togo.
From all the galleries, a total of 635 art works were exhibited. This include 424 paintings, 104 sculptural pieces, 23 mixed media, 6 photography, 34 prints, 11 textiles, 11 drawings, 1 bead works, 3 leather works, 7 graphics, 1 gramophone, 5 brass work, 1 chest and 1 radio. These were exhibited together professionally.
In addition to the theme highlighted above, the emphasis was on art promotion and patronage in Nigeria. This is well treated in the exhibition brochure. The topic is chosen at this time also for us to assess how much we have achieved in the areas of visual art promotion and patronage since the inception of modern Nigerian art, and particularly, from independence till date. Note that the anniversary celebration calls for reassessment in every field of endeavour. In this regard, the visual art sector cannot be an exception. Art promotion and patronage are central to the business of visual art. This aroused the discussions in the brochure under sub-headings such as Traditional Nigerian Art Patronage, The Early Part of Colonial Period, Modern Nigerian Art Patronage, Patronage Capacity of the Federal Government of Nigeria, Institutional and Foreign Embassies in Nigeria, The Roles of the Artists Themselves, Auction as Visual Art Promotion, Issues and Suggestions for Improving Visual Art Patronage in Nigeria, followed by the conclusion. These are appropriately highlighted in the brochure.
151 images of art works appeared in the brochure. They include; 119 paintings, 5 drawings, 1 installation, 15 sculptures, 6 graphics, 1 ceramics, 3 prints, 3 photography.
In addition to the above are articles by Krydz Ikwuemesi and Peju Layiwola highlighting some aspects of art patronage and themes in modern Nigerian art, Krydz’s article is titled Thematisation in Nigerian Art: A personal Perspective and that of Peju Layiwola titled The Visual Arts of Nigeria and the Global Encounter. These are followed by a paper which Simon O. Ikpakronyi presented during the closing ceremony of 2009 edition. His paper touches on areas such as exhibition, exhibition brochure, AGAN and collaborative ventures/programmes, and the conclusion. The paper is complemented by responses from the audience, all of which enrich the brochure.
The standard exhibition brochure has 246 pages with 151 images of art works clearly shown. They include 119 paintings, 5 drawings, 15 sculptures, 1 installation, 6 graphics, 1 ceramics, 3 prints and 3 photography.
From this edition, other viable programmes have been incorporated to spice the ArtExpo Nigeria. They included workshop for art journalists, which was held on the 24th August, 2010, Seminar on various aspects of Nigerian art also held on the 26th August, 2010 and the lecture which was held on 28th August, 2010 all at the same venue. All these are targeted to bring in intellectualism into the main programme.
Invited to give the lecture of 28th August, 2010 are Goddy Leye from Comeroun who talked on Artist-Gallery Partnership and Barrister Shina Fagbenro Byron a lawyer/musician from Nigeria who talked on the Legal Position (the Rights of the Visual Artist and the Rule of Law.
Important thing to note from the 2010 edition of International ArtExpo Nigeria is that the name ArtExpo Nigeria has been changed to International ArtExpo Lagos. In this edition, many art works were acquired, the National Gallery of Art alone acquired 38 art works from all the galleries that participated.