It’s hard to believe that the year is half over, and as we take stock of the last six months, I think there are some valuable lessons we learned and absorbed: The first lesson is the importance of collaboration. Working in community is often complicated and time consuming, but in the end, we achieve a far greater impact. As the saying goes “One Hand Cannot Clap Alone”, so it is in the art market, where resource challenges have forced us to be innovative and come up with new business models. We started an exciting new collaboration with the Asian Fusion restaurant, ARAMI in Lekki, Lagos. This beautiful new hospitality space invited us to curate their large walls and double-volume gallery space which lend itself perfectly to art.
Curating the inaugural exhibition at ARAMI called Celebration, was an exciting experience which brought together a diverse group of emerging and leading talent creating installations and sculptures in bronze, clay and fiberglass. We placed contemporary and modernist paintings next to undulating textile tapestries and wooden slats engraved with copper wires alongside lenticular works of ancient nsibidi script. Bold ceramic pots and an engraved wooden bench sat vis-à-vis a4 meter canvas inspired by aerial shots of African archaeological sites. People who walked into the space were immediately mesmerized by the art and the presentation of gourmet delicacies, a perfect combination to inspire the senses. The Arami art-design-gastronomy experience is heightened with stunning rooftop views over the sprawling Lagos metropolis. SMO x ARAMI reminds us that if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, then go together. Do drop by during the rainy summer months and enjoy Celebration while exploring great food, design and conversations.
The second lesson is about the importance of paying homage and showing up. The Venice Biennale is where the international art world gathers every two years to celebrate the best of global creativity. But this year’s April preview was really special because the biennale was curated for the first time by an African female curator, Koyo Kouoh, who tragically died last year and handed the baton to her amazing team to complete her curatorial opus: In Minor Keys. The art is a conscious effort to tune in to the lower frequencies of life. The sounds, colours and vibrations we can only hear if we slow down, remove distractions, close our eyes, and really listen. SMO attended the preview with many artists, galleries and collectors from the global African art community, paying homage to Koyo and her team. It was a thought-provoking presentation of rising talent and master artists from across the world, celebrating the best of art, performance, and music, intricately woven together by poetry. The Venice Biennale is on until November and well worth a visit.
As we look forward to what the next few months have to offer, we are focusing on the need to tell more diverse and historically grounded stories through the work of important talent who may not sit on the “front burner” of the global art calendar. We will be co-curating an important retrospective exhibition of works by one of Nigeria’s leading artists and academics and showcasing exciting new works from local artists and talent from Benin, Ethiopia and South Africa.