Musa Jibril
One hot afternoon in March, one of those days when writing becomes a punishment but the writer is condemned to continue hacking away at the keyboard because of the gavel of deadline, and expectedly churning out uninspiring piece, Nana Acheampong had broken the tedium by suggesting a break, a timeout, a fast drive through the blazing Accra sun-baked street to somewhere downtown. Off we went, to cold beer and coke, hot kenkey, spicy shito, pork and chicken grill. We then headed to an art gallery where we spent the greater part of the afternoon inside the cool expanse of a room, surrounded by the finest oil paintings I had ever seen. We returned to the office in the evening and with a burst of energy and a steady flow of creativity put the paper to bed in record time.
To this day, the words of the Italian curator of the gallery lingers in my mind: “When you are depressed or you have something bothering you, and you need to focus, try the art gallery, it is a good therapy.”
This is an old secret for the art-inclined, artists and collectors alike: the gallery is an Alice in wonderland’s rabbit hole that gives you an escape from the drudgery of life.
“Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life,” said Pablo Picasso. He forgot to add that the “Gallery is the bathroom where the process takes place.”
The gallery comes in handy as a go-to place for reflection, to restore equilibrium to your inner being after a chaotic day or and to stabilize your psyche after an emotional turbulence.
The act of visiting an art gallery is not a popular habit. You don’t necessarily have to be an art enthusiast or a collector looking for rare Rembrandts or valuable Van Goghs or prized Picassos, to go to an art exhibition or auction. Neither must you be versed in the art. The more naïve you are about art, the most likely the art gallery will impact on you. A mind once stretched by an idea hardly return to its original form – that is what art gallery does to a tabula rasa mind. For late starters, time spent inside galleries is a good beginning of their education in art.
Lagos is a city gradually filling up with quality galleries. The swanky ones are in highbrow Victoria Island and Ikoyi. Elsewhere in the city of 20 million, quality galleries open by the day. The trend has been on the upswing in the past decade.
So where do you go? Start with any of these three.
Arthouse Contemporary
Those familiar with the Lagos art scene look forward to Arthouse Contemporary’s exhibitions and auctions. Since 2012, I have been an adherent follower of the Arthouse residencies, workshops, talks and exhibitions. Since founding it in 2007, Kavitha Chellarams, the CEO, had driven its activities with passion and style and provides the Nigerian art community with a gratifying experience. Arthouse, whose gallery is on 36 Cameron Road, Ikoyi is focused on modern and contemporary art from West Africa. It has brokered the auctioning and acquisition of some of the most expensive, sophisticated artworks in Nigeria. Its fifth annual Affordable Art Auction is scheduled for 6 pm on March 7 at Kia Showroom, No. 308 Adeola Odeku Street Victoria Island. A preview will hold on March 5 and 6 to afford the public the opportunity to glimpse 101 artworks by a mix of leading contemporary artists, some of whom are participating for the first time at an auction. The Affordable Art Auction is usually for new collectors, hence, all works of art are below one million naira.
Alexis Gallery
Alexis Gallery is a habitat for art lovers. Situated in the heart of Victoria Island, it is a charming art place whose beauty is in its eclecticism––artists of all ages, work of arts of all kinds, prices of all ranges. Its biggest allure is its multidimensional facet as a gallery, an art shop and an art café. You’d find it tucked in a corner on No 282 Akin Olugbade Street, off Idowu Martins Street.
The last time I was there in the company of an art writer, Mr Simeon Mpamugoh, we had a good tour and that included meeting Patty Chidiac-Mastrogiannis, the gallery’s CEO.
Now, this is the deal: if your office is on the island and you are having a jaded day, a quick dash to Alexis’ can help freshen up your day and get you back your mojo. There is a lot for you to do at the gallery. You can explore its excellent art shop, called Homestores, which is packed full with a variety of arts and crafts, a perfect place to choose your souvenirs and presents, where every item is of high quality and rare. The gallery is always ‘in season.’ Even if it is not staging an exhibition, there are always arts on display. You’d find it is home to some of the best canvas paintings of this age. The art café upstairs is a hub of relaxation where guests have the pleasure of exotic menu. And there is an adjoining nice, cosy coffee shop.
Ovuomaroro Studio and Gallery
Some seven years ago, I had the rare treat of watching Dr Bruce Onabrakpeya at work and later sat opposite him for over gruelling one-hour interview session.
His gallery on the Lagos mainland, at 41, Oloje Street, Papa Ajao offers exposure to the contemporary artworks of the artist which spanned six decades of his storied career. The glass windows of the two-storey building allow in natural light that bathes his prints with stunning illumination. That gallery is the printmaking studio facility where he has worked since 1976; hence, visitors are privileged to see some of the defining works of one of the so-called Zaria Rebels. A gift shop is part of the gallery. There, you can buy contemporary books on modern Nigerian art and some of his prints and other artworks.