‘
H
ow About NOW?’,
the theme of
the Nigerian
pavilion at the
57th edition of
the world’s biggest art festival,
soundsslightlytongue-in-cheek:
Nigeria’s arrival at the Venice
Biennale has been a long time
coming. Despite having awealth
of worthy artists to choose from,
fundingchallengesandachange
ofgovernmentpreventedNigeria
from making the grand entrance
ithadplannedin2015.Butwhen
it happened it was always going
to be one for the history books.
The participating crew com-
prises three of the finest artists
in Nigeria, working in a variety
of media from sculpture to video
and dance. The work by Victor
Ehikhamenor, Peju Alatise and
Qudus Onikeku
is displayed over
two floors of an
18th-century
building that
was once home
to Venice’s gold thread and gold
leaf guild, beside the church of
Sant’Eustachio.
“It took a whole country and
then some to make this pavil-
ion happen,” says Adenrele
Sonariwo, a leading light in
the Nigerian art world and co-
curator of the pavilion along-
side the novelist and essayist
Emmanuel Iduma. “Nigerians
from all walks of life and all over
the world have pooled together
their time, energy, resources to
make this a reality.” The pavil-
ion itself was commissioned by
Godwin Obaseki, governor of
Edo State. A sign, perhaps, of
government’sincreasinginterest
in the arts as an industry.As one of 86 countries show-
casing this year, Nigeria joins
Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt,
Kenya, South Africa, Tunisia
and Zimbabwe in representing
the continent.
Hubs of artistic talent and
exposure have existed across
Nigeria for decades, from
Zaria in the north to Nsukka
in the south. Consequently,
the curatorial research for
the presentation was nation-
wide, with the team combing
national archives to arrive at
the collective story it eventually
decided to tell.LAGOS IS WHERE IT’S AT
Back in Lagos, Sonariwo’s
Re.Le gallery has positioned
itself as a supporter of both old
and young talents, injecting afresh element into exhibitions
using social media. Events
showcasing contemporary art
and new additions like Art X
Lagos have also become a reg-
ular feature, with increasingly
dynamic and vibrant partici-
pants and attendees.
“The world has seen Nigerian
artists excel as individuals,”
said Sonariwo at the opening.
“Today, Nigerian artworks sit
in important collections all
over the world. However, with
the Biennale we can present
ourselves as a collective strong
voice. [...] The world will know
weareopenforinvestmentwhen
it comes to the arts.”
Eromo Egbejulein VeniceArt Venice at last,
and what a show!
Nigeria makes its maiden appearance at the
Venice Biennale with a pavilion that rolls the
past and future into a resounding present“It took a whole country
and then some to make
this pavilion happen”Flying Girls(pictured), Peju Alatise’s
soaring installation of eight winged
life-size girls, covers a section of the
first-floor space from floor to ceiling.
Based on her short story about
a 10-year-old girl who works as
a housemaid in Lagos but dreams
of a realm where she is free and can
fly, the work is immediately evocative
and elicits sympathy for the girls.
Moved by the piece, some guests
at the opening were brought to tears.
Since her arrival on the Nigerian
art scene more than 13 years ago,
the mixed-medium artist has used her
work to champion social, political and
gender issues. All of this culminated in
her selection as the 2016 fellow at the
Smithsonian Institution’s National
Museum of African Art, where she
explored the ancestry and performance
of a Yoruba masquerade.
Alatise, whose background is in
architecture, is also a poet and author
of two novels. In 2013 she combined
the visual experience of sculptural
installations with short stories for
her experimental exhibition Wrapture
at the Eko Hotel & Suites in Lagos.
Alatise’s work is deliberate. When
she debuted at the 1:54 art fair in 2014
she did so with a piece that once again
evoked a strong reaction from viewers:
Missingfeatured the silhouettes
of some of the 234 girls kidnapped
by Boko Haram in the same year.Peju Alatise
Poetry and politics86 ART & LIFE