Firm Aims To Foster Creative Thinking Across Africa

 

Windsor Gallery, an art firm, has commenced establishment of contemporary art galleries across major cities of Africa to drive creative thinking on the continent.

The Chairman of Windsor Gallery, Mr Richard Vedelago who made this known in an interview with Newsmen, said that the aim was to drive interest in contemporary art on the continent.

Windsor Gallery is an artistic firm, dedicated to promoting contemporary art through engaging art gallery events and a curated art collection

The chairman explained that five contemporary art galleries had been established in five major cities in Nigeria and Côte d’Ivoire.

He said that contemporary art is about progressive thinking, pushing people to the future and giving them the opportunity to think for themselves.

According to him, the firm wants to expand minds, and to also tackle subject matters that are important to the African project.

He said that there is need to shift the way art is perceived in Africa saying that Africans need to understand the value of the talents within.

According to him, the visibility of African art is less when compared with those of the west and that has to change.

How do we now create an artistic journey for people to participate, that takes them through multiple countries and will showcase multiple artists from across the continent.

“We only know what we have in the city we live in, we do not know what is out there, we are very intruder as a people.

“We always say Africa is the art hub but we are not really that because we are still very segmented, so we hope to have art gallery in every city of Africa one day.

“We already have five across West Africa today and we are hoping to have six next year; moreso than anything, is the conversation

We are able to have with artist on their inspiration, their point of view and their referencing of where we are in Africa.

“We are also looking at strategic partnerships that will make arts more accessible and to create merchandise, not everyone can afford a paint work but they should be able to get a pack bag, branded notebook or T-shirt just; something to make people participate in the artistic space.

“This initiative is about giving people the opportunity to shine, every Nigerian is a star, it is about putting the best talent in front to build something for themselves and for the nation,” he said.

Vedelago said that the firm was talking to people who have never showed up in an art show before to have a shift and understanding, a deeper appreciation of things that are created in Africa by Africans.

The Director-General of NCAC, Chief Obi Asika said that the National Festival for Art and Culture (NAFEST) was inaugurated in 1970 by Gen. Yakubu Gowon, then Head of State, to the platform to heal the country of the civil war.

He said that the festival allows competition across all cultural categories such as  cooking food, dance, music, singing, drama performance, children essay writing, ayo, tradition boxing between states.

Asika said that the 36th edition of the festival is ongoing in Abuja and the theme is “connected culture.

“That is why we are partnering with Windsor Gallery and we have asked them to gather other galleries.

“At the NCAC we have responsibility for the entire sector, fashion, art, music, film and we are partnering with the private sector to expand the space economically and to create more opportunities, more jobs more business and more money.

“The art industry is contributing massively, first of all, not everything is economical, you need to consider what it is doing in terms of education and inspiration.

“Nigeria has many masters in art, from the curator to the artist, the culture is evolving, photography is becoming big, night life is becoming bigger than it were 20 years ago, it is now contributes in billions to the economy.

“The suya points,, bars, clubs, lounge, garden etc all these are arts, art is life, it depends where you are engaging the art,” he said.

Speaking on the exhibition, the Art Manager, Ms Wofai Ibiang said that the exhibition was very particular about pushing a message.

She said that the exhibition focuses on figurative arts that finds its expression in the female form saying that some are emotional expressions while others spoke to female self representation.

She announced that the firm was organising a festival that would hold in 2025 saying that it  would feature 40 contemporary artiest from across Africa.

“It will do a great things for the art industry in Nigeria, it will pass the information we have been trying to pass all along, which is the art education,” she said.

 

 

 

 

NAN