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| Mudiare Onobrakpeya and Chief Nike Okundaye at Art Expo in Lagos |
This year's art fair shall feature different genres of art including installations and photography, and will attract about 35 galleries across Nigeria and have participation from several countries in the West African sub-region including Ghana, Togo and the Republic of Benin. It is also expected that over 100 artists cutting across several generations of artists will feature works of arts through the galleries.
The event will be opened formally at the National Museum Onikan, Lagos, Nigeria, on the 22nd of August, 2009 at 12.00 noon. According to the President of AGAN, Chief Frank Okonta who is also the proprietor of Nkem Gallery, there will be an opportunity for all those who love art to come and see the richness of Nigerian, and indeed West Africa's dynamic and robust visual arts market. The Nigerian Art fair proposes to be one of the most prestigious international contemporary art fair in Africa, and will take place for a second year running in Lagos, Nigeria's visual art capital.
According to the organizers, over 1000 art works including paintings, sculpture, photography, prints and installations, will be on display through the galleries, and much like established Art fairs around the world, for instance the Art Expo New York and ARCO-Madrid, it is hoped that the Nigerian version will ultimately become one of the biggest art shows in Africa. The intention is to create an art marketplace that will offer the general public an opportunity to see great art presented in a professional manner and setting. Whether you're a seasoned collector diversifing your portfolio of visual artworks, interested in adding to the allure of your home's interior design, or simply an art enthusiast interested in viewing the latest trends in the visual arts, This year's art fair in August 2009, will have something for everyone. This year's show is expected to attract about 10,000 guests, about double of 2008.
The art fair is a collaboration of Art Galleries Association of Nigeria (AGAN) and the National Gallery of art. AGAN is a new body that was set set up in 2008 to bring all galleries in the country together under one umbrella. It membership cuts across the country. Conservative estimates of contemporary African art market for the visual arts has been placed at between 25 and 50 million Euros annually internationally, with an estimated market growth rate of about 12 percent annually.
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