African Artist Foundation
When touch fails to provide human connection, we turn our gaze to art.
Photo Courtesy: African Artist Foundation.
What would the art world show post pandemic? After months of uncertainty, we have dwelled into the immensity of our personal, mental, visual, sound and cultural worlds; while we relearn to guide ourselves by our own senses and emotions, reconnect with the basic and fundamental tools that make us feel and connect with other human beings: the exploration of our feelings, the resolution of our deepest traumas, touch and connection that from the root makes us experiment with this human form. And so, we turn our gaze to art, trying to find perhaps not a form of escapism to reality but a guide of illusion and hope in the face of a future that is increasingly uncertain.
The African Artist Foundation has been in charge since 2007 not only of promoting the highest level of art in Africa, but also of uniting the best artists, established and emerging, in that country, serving as a first point of contact for the Africans in the diaspora who seek to establish their roots in Africa or those Nigerians who need to expand their base to reach the international market. Through art exhibitions, festivals, competitions, residencies and workshops, they are in charge of connecting with the most human side of people, reviving the creativity, expression and connection that we long for today.
And so, Princess Ayoola, creative manager of the Foundation, tells us about this incredible project, the artists and works that give her peace of mind during this time of crisis and the future of art.
In your own words can you tell me a little bit more about the AAF and how Art Base Africa came into being? Did it emerge as a response to the global crisis we’re facing?
AAF was established as a need to support the young and talented streams of Nigerian artists that are constantly emerging. The foundation also serves as a first point of contact especially for Africans in Diaspora who are in a quest to establish their roots in Africa or those Nigerians who need to expand their base to reach the international market. Hence, the foundation fosters two-way exchanges and trades. Considering the large network of artists that we liaise with, the foundation also fosters growth and serves as fertile ground for networking, collaborations and all sorts of enabling partnerships for artists, academics, collectors and enthusiasts.
No, Art Base did not just emerge as a response to the global crisis. It is an initiative founded by Azu Nwagbogu and was introduced as a virtual space to discover and learn about African Art. The main objective of ABA is to be a central, active knowledge hub in the growing art community,
What are some of the artists and artistic trends that influence both your work and personal life and peace of mind?
I am deeply moved by the works of American artist Kerry James Marshall, and styles that follow this trend. His works are apt in portraying black Africans in their quotidian element, without filters or rhetorics and dialogues attached. The Works of this artists depicts the stark being and humanity of black people as people who are painting or being out on a picnic, or in a salon. I feel that it is important to first see blackness as simply a state of existence, rather than to see it as a movement as in negritude or blacklivesmatter or postcolonial criticism.
Fela Anikulapo Kuti also inspires me greatly. His music is politically charged and satirical, but above that, his genre of music – Afro beats – is wonderful. His style is unapologetic in every way, not just his music with long preludes and uncensored political criticism, but also his dressing, his traditional beliefs, his general life ideologies and way of living.
Afro minimalist trends interest me a lot. Clean and modern furnishing with touches of African fabric, prints and/or engravings. It is reflective in all I do, how I dress, how I write, I maximise it my room space that is painted in an ordinary cement grey, eliminating clutter and including only functional elements to my spaces.
Kerry James Marshall - School of Beauty, School of Culture.
What kind of sensory references and feelings do you like to feel when looking for a new artist to represent?
Mentally stimulating references/approaches, enthusiasm about their work and their general goals and methods to meeting those goals, most importantly a willingness to grow beyond the confines of one’s own style and ideas. Visual artists should be able to see what they aim to project to the world and be able to communicate those ideas with us in ways that help AAF represent them ideally.
Which artists have you discovered lately that excite you?
Tosin Kalejaye and Ken Nwadiogbu. Their styles are distinct, Tosin is a hyperrealist artist who has improved his practice to painting. His pieces are extraordinary in their element of detail, he adds items and layers of African reality which is almost like a code in his work to those who have experienced these realities. Ken on the other hand, excites me in the way he has evolved from his early works, and how he applies his style to address contemporary issues and ideas.
Ken Nwadiogbu - The Value of Nothing
Sheltering in place has provided an unexpected, meditative period allowing artists a renewed freedom to experiment, explore, and work without distraction. Thinking that art is a reflection of the times we live in, how do you think it will project everything we have experienced during this year?
Arts projecting year 2020 would show the human race as fallible, yet indomitable. Art in these times will project life and death, sickness and health, confinement and solitude, and many other ideals like dependence on technological advancements. Above all, Arts would show humanity as invincible in the face of a pandemic.
Reflecting on the pandemic made it very clear the need to go back to our origins, not only in literal terms of inspiration, but also in the aspect of introspection of the self. It forced us to face our thoughts and limitations, and to find new ways to create and become closer to one another, so I believe the theme for this edition of the LagosPhoto Festival is incredible. Where is the future of the festival heading? Do you think that the virtual aspect is something that is already fixed or are you eager to do a physical event again?
The theme for the year – Home Museum is a subtle reminder of all the antiques and memorials that lay in one’s home rather than in a public museum, and that is where the notion of introspection comes in. This year, the festival is scheduled to take place both virtually and physically, but predominantly in the virtual space. While the online activities are specially curated to meet the needs of our international participants, there will be a few physical associated activities too here in Lagos where limited numbers of participants will gather to celebrate the arts and our common heritage through the Home Museum.
Subsequently, there will be physical activities which will equally be open to the online screening options that we have started to explore. Although we have a lot of artists and individuals, who are eager to experience the Nigerian culture by being present during the festival, AAF is keenly moving more and more towards technology and media focus, we are willing to explore our options at any time to determine what works best for the situation.
What do you think people want from art now, based on the idea that uncertainty dominates our lives?
Judging from the global lockdown, people mostly want to find solace in the arts…something to evoke good memories – a photograph or video , some way to vent – by painting or drawing, something to pass the time – a movie, people want to record the passing of time and the events that marked theses seasons by photo journaling. People also want to rediscover themselves and experiment with art.
William Ukoh - White Shadow Series and Studies on Privacy and Identity
What have you been reading or in the works of which artist have you found an escape or a form of emotional healing in the current situation on the planet?
Gabriel Gracia Marquez– Love in the time of Cholera, Becoming – Michele Obama, Too Much is Not Enough - Andrew Rannells. Love. Style. Life - Garance Doré, Ayn Rayn - The Fountain Head.
What behavior patterns and mental blocks have you been unlearning during these months of introspection?
Overthinking, allowing people’s opinion of me or my capabilities affect me mentally.
What changes will you implement both personally and professionally to move towards a better future?
Finding confidence in my skillset
Finding confidence to dream big
Financial literacy and management
Growing artists organically at their own pace
Learning to better articulate my writing
Where do you find hope?
I find hope in the exception to the rule, in the resilience of a country like Nigeria, in the fact that riches sometimes spring up from abject poverty and that kindness still abounds in spite of the strife and hassle of daily living. I find hope in man’s ability for reformation and in the incidents that prove that the human race is worthy of redemption.