March 2024. I embarked on an odyssey with friends from Ecobank Pan-African Centre (EPAC) for an art fair, to the British Council for a creative showcase!
Both visits had unforgettable moments, unveiling talented artists across Africa, and fostering artistic skills like pottery, which I unfortunately goofed at.
This is a recollection of +234 Art Fair and #Iam4Art creative showcase, delving into artistic reverie.
Lagos, Nigeria has been home to the most creative events by Nigerian talents across music, arts, and local tourism, however, beyond exhibitions, +234 Art Fair goes to converge Lagosians and art aficionados around the world for a visual feast of all senses!
What’s better?
You could buy art directly, take photographs with the artworks, and interact with artists as well as question their creative quests.
Promoting African Art Takes a Village: An Art Class to Remember
Arriving EPAC at noon, I proceeded to register with my sister before linking up with Leonard and his friend, Tonye. After having a quick look at the hanging pieces around, he informed us of an ongoing art masterclass – African Art in the Global Art Market by Florence Lynch, Senior Director of Marc Straus Gallery, New York, USA.
We got in.
Florence spoke passionately about promoting African art; mentioning ideas like participation in art fairs, group exhibitions, residency programs, etc. for local artists looking to be discovered by international collectors.
Questions went on about true African identity and representation in arts, as local artists prefer to be seen as artists instead of “traditionalists who may overwhelmingly represent African culture” in artsy expressions.
It was an insightful class! I also asked about the role of writers and content creators in promoting African art to global markets and that’s when Florence said, “…it takes a village!”
From Paintings to Sculptures to Paintings: Series of Artworks in One Place
The inaugural event by Ecobank Pan-African Centre hosted over 10,000 visitors from March 22 to March 31, 2024, and each visitor got to see a myriad of 1,000 artworks including paintings, photography, sculptures, digital art, and more!
Curated by SOTO Gallery, the fair focused on promoting local artists and talents to aficionados. Few artists stood out from the crowd with their fire-breathing metalworks, sustainable installation, and intricate pottery.
The floor layout also hosted a coffee area, gift shop, and kid’s reception. AC ducts were covered in Nigerian Ankara fabric, adding an extra artistic layer to the interior space.
I painted myself!
Joining hundreds of visitors who had their imprints on +234 Art Fair’s canvas.
As inclusive as the venue was, the white walls of EPAC also accommodated children, aged 4-17 years on art tours. They got handheld by The Children’s Art Gallery (TCA).
A couple of celebrities and Lagos socialites came around particularly for a BIG finale of the visual arts showcase.
Photo Props and a Waterfront: EPAC is a Brush of Brilliance
The new Ecobank building is a state-of-the-art event space. It also has an amazing waterfront view with more than 300 parking spaces on other floors. There’s a VIP lounge, free selfie studio (you may be asked to open a bank account), and seminar room.
For the exhibition, the photo props were endless!
Artworks had labels with pricing as well, and the floor was segmented to interactive art, seating areas, sculptures, photos, and fine arts.
Now, about the labels, I wish more works carried the media tags – acrylic on canvas, for example – like smaller exhibitions, but I understand this could’ve been a Herculean task because of numbers.
Messy Pottery: How British Council Encourages Participatory Art
3:35 p.m.
Next stop, British Council.
We hopped in Leonard’s car for a swift ride to Ikoyi for the second part of our excursion.
Man, the number of consent forms we signed ehn! We registered online, accepted that our images and video clips could be used for promotional content, and we still had to do same at the venue.
On getting those #Iam4Art wristbands, we witnessed a good number of food vendors showcasing traditional culinary styles.
At the backyard, three participatory art activities – batik, pottery, and paint and sip catered to attendees, for FREE of charge.
I would’ve loved to do all, but time…
I went for pottery and messed up big time! The instructor even had to give me a second lump of clay for retrial but I was still bummed.
Fashion Runway and Pop-up Market: Nurturing Local Fashion Designers
Still at the back, fashion designers had booths for their footwear, shirts, dresses, and other fashion items to style your Afrocentricity!
Celebrity Twitter influencer Pamilerin also checked in to buy from one of the creative showcase.
Inside the British Council, models of all sizes, male and female, strutted in African-designed clothing with smooth background sounds.
After each collection, the fashion ready-to-wear designer was given a shoutout by the energetic MC and they took a bow to the engrossed audience.
It was my first time at a fashion show.
Conclusively, African Art is Enlightenment! Even Better When You Participate
As a visual diary of gallery visits, fans of ericotrips can tell that I see more than one art showcase whenever I can. And for artistic delights +234 Art Fair and #Iam4Art, I would say that the beauty is in the charm of creating something alongside artists by yourself.
When was the last time you actively participated in creation of an artwork?
The Ecobank Pan-African Centre (EPAC) is located at 270 Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue, Victoria Island, Lagos. British Council is perched at 20 Thompson Avenue, Ikoyi, Lagos.
ERICOTRIPS 
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