The International Route Of Nigeria Art

Art

The International Route Of Nigeria Art

As the world begins to notice the rich history behind Nigerian artwork, the art scene is bringing attention to a country of creativity and opportunity.

In no small way, art reflects the story of the people from which it comes. With traditional African art, such as sculptures, textiles, masks and pottery being born out of utilisation, modern art has transformed over time to include practical and decorative items. These movements helped to change the relationship that artists and consumers had with art, and the result has been fruitful.

In the world of Nigerian art, the Zaria Rebels is a name that cannot be overlooked. The Zaria Rebel Society was a group of undergraduate students who completely altered Nigerian art in the late 1950s by rejecting the established means of teaching art and creation and expression. This defiance was motivated by the political state of Nigeria at the time. As the country was on the verge of gaining its independence from Britain in 1960, anti-colonial revolts, labour disputes and the foundation of Nigerian art education led to the establishment of diasporic networks and international gatherings of black writers and artists. These gatherings created an environment where the Zaria Rebels could express their postcolonial discourse more freely. Fuelled by the intense feelings of nationalism before and after gaining independence, the Zaria Rebels gave in to their desire to create new art that expressed the diverse cultures of Nigeria. The Rebels fought against the colonialist threat of erasing local art traditions, styles and ideas. They were formed with the aim of returning to their African roots and rejecting the visual arts teaching methods brought by expatriate Europeans.

Almost immediately after Nigeria gained independence, a second group of artists emerged as creative expression flowed throughout the country, setting an art movement in motion once again. Between 1962 and 1966 in the Yoruba town of Oshogbo in southwestern Nigeria, a group of artists, including Susanne Wenger, Ulli Beier, Georgina Beier and Nike Okundaye, gathered together in workshops to combine traditional subject matter with Western art techniques and media. They called themselves the Mbari Club, and the result of their informal art lessons became a blend of genres that set a new standard for Nigerian artists and pushed the art world forward. What the Mbari Club created was a postmodernist, post-colonial, contemporary art form that the world had never seen before.

As Nigeria continues to grow in all creative forms: music, film, fashion and more, Nigerian contemporary artists have found recent success.

Since then, art expression and creativity have flourished in the country. As Nigeria continues to grow in all creative forms: music, film, fashion and more, Nigerian contemporary artists have even found recent success abroad. In 2017, painter Njideka Akunyili-Crosby, who is based in Los Angeles, sold her piece “Bush Babies” for US$3,375,000, setting a new world record for a Nigerian artist. Akunyili-Crosby is now the most valuable Nigerian artist in history and among the most valuable female artists in the entire world. In 2018, the Berlinbased sound and installation artist Emeka Ogboh was a finalist for the Guggenheim Museum’s prestigious Hugo Boss Prize. In October 2019, the long-lost painting called “Christine” by Nigerian Ben Enwonwu was discovered in Texas and sold in London for a US$1.8 million. Enwonwu was one of the original pioneers of the Zaria Rebels, and the sale of “Christine” has set an auction record for a Nigerian modern work. The successes of these artists help to bring awareness to Nigeria as a powerhouse for artistic expression.

Nigerian art is not only successful abroad. Lagos is home to some of the most impressive galleries for African art. The Nike Art Gallery, owned by Nike Davies-Okundaye, one of the original members of the Mbari Club from Oshogbo, is the largest art gallery in West Africa. In a five-story building, it contains a collection of 8,000 pieces of art from Nigerian artists. Another impressive gallery is the Signature Beyond gallery which showcases artworks, paintings and sculptures. The leading art gallery in Nigeria is the Omenka gallery, which highlights the work of existing and emerging Nigerian and international contemporary artists. Most importantly, the Omenka gallery is active in education, creating academic texts to foster a critical thinking environment and discussion devoted to the future of contemporary art in Nigeria and all of Africa. Their efforts have yielded reward. As they encourage professional artistic development, Lagos has seen a surge in art interest over the past few years, resulting in the international art fair, ART X Lagos.

ART X Lagos is an event that aims to feature the most inventive contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora, deliberately placing itself in an area of the world that has been unknown the art industry in years prior: Nigeria. Founded by Tokini Peterside in 2016, the Nigerian art industry’s highlight event of the year began as a project for Peterside’s MBA. She began designing an international art fair for an entrepreneurship assignment and brought it to life within a year and a half. In its first year in 2016, it debuted with 14 galleries. Only two years later, it has grown exponentially. In 2018, ART X Lagos featured 55 artists from 17 countries. In the same year, ART X introduced a prize and reward of funding and professional mentoring to nurture the incredible talent of budding artists while contributing to the art industry in the country. Ultimately, the goal of ART X Lagos is to perpetuate a desire to create among local and foreign-trained artists and artists who have worked, studied orlived abroad,, which will bring art lovers, critics, curators and collectors to the source of inspiration. The art history of Nigeria is rich and growing and it tells a story that can be clearly seen in the pieces that its people create.