When it comes to art appreciation, especially in a country like Nigeria, there is still a lot of work to be done. But when innovative minds come together, the result is Impart Artist Fair.
A unique exhibition that fuses the power of technology with the imaginative abilities of African artists, the Fair held at Alpha One, Eko Atlantic, Victoria Island, from October 25 to 27.
Curated by Hana Omilani, founder and Director of Lasmara, an African artist consultancy firm specialising in contemporary African art, the Fair not only sought to promote African artists but also to raise the value of African Art.
“Over the years, we’ve been working on different projects like exhibitions, auction projects, several different projects but in the past year or so, we felt that there was a big gap in this African market. I felt that the artists were doing a lot from their side and covering some areas that in any other environment, artists have support from galleries or institutions. But I felt that African artists were doing almost everything, the production, the marketing and the sales.
“When there is a gallery in place, there is no real structure in place to protect them or even the gallery. I think the reality is most people buy directly from artists in our environment. So, I felt the responsibility to create a platform to promote that. Impart Artist Fair is the first platform we are creating to promote African artists and raise the value of African art,” Omilani said.
With the theme, ‘Art Meets Tech’, the Fair deployed a high dose of homegrown technology to change the face of how exhibitions are viewed. From soundless discussion panels to screening on Virtual Reality, modern technology was the full thrust of the art fair. It also featured a digital graffiti wall where visitors could spray paint their imagination on a digital board and have them printed, emailed to them or posted directly on social media.
“I believe that the tech sector has a vast creative amount of potential that is not exposed, especially in our African market. Some creatives in this tech sector are working, that nobody has heard of, but they are artists in their rights. But in the first instance, it is to use technology to promote our African artists.
“Technology, for us is essential and vital. We cannot be left behind in the creative sector. If we don’t catch up with technology, we will be left behind. If we are left behind in the tech sector, that means, even our traditional artists are going to be left behind even more. We also use it as a tool to promote them,” said Omilani.
One ground-breaking feature of the Fair is that people from all over the world could do a virtual tour of the exhibition and have a feel of the works on display via a unique link.
“For me, what is very important is that we democratise art. We can’t be talking about the art industry, and creative sector if we don’t make it accessible to people. We had a student competition, and they have given the award to the school that won. To me, there is no point in doing an event for the sake of doing an event,” she added.
The Fair brought together buyers, collectors, institutions as well as artists not just from all over Nigeria but also from other African countries like Kenya, Zimbabwe, Cameroun, Ivory Coast, and Sudan.
It also featured the screening of the documentary film, ‘The Daughters of Chibok’ on Virtual Reality as well as several animation screenings.
Convener, Hana Omilani, is an Eritrean married to a Nigerian. She grew up in Germany but was educated in the UK. She studied Art Business at Christie’s Education and intends to take the exhibition to different African cities.
