The sexiness of contemporary art, and of being center of the arts, seems to be a global phenomenon — a matter of imagination, of aspiration, of pride, and probably of business, too.
Recently, Nigeria — which has stabilized a bit in recent years under a civilian government — got into the act. Its onetime capital, Lagos, has a National Museum, which displays bronzes and ivories from the Kingdom of Benin, but no contemporary art.
To fill that void, no one is erecting a grand new physical space for a contemporary art in what remains a poor country — which is smart. Rather, the Pan African University has started a “Virtual Museum of Modern Nigeria Art.” The site is still under construction, but it’s a start and it’s something of a plus to museums around the world that are trying to have a global outlook in an era of shrinking resources. And to the curious. (Not that anyone is going to collect art after seeing what’s on the virtual museum website — but it does provide an introduction.)
As Jess Castellote, the Spanish architect and art observer who was hired to run the site said recently, “There are many Nigerian artists who have produced great works but (who are) unknown. This is a challenge; the museum will not solve the problem, but it is a small contribution.”
I learned about the effort in a Nigerian publication called Next, which published an article about it last month. (Next has a robust section on culture, btw.)
Here’s how the museum explains itself:
The Virtual Museum of Modern Nigerian Art (VMMNA) is an online, free, searchable database of Nigerian art from the beginning of the twentieth century. Its main aim is to serve as an educational resource that will contribute to the dissemination of knowledge on modern Nigerian art and artists among the widest possible audience.
The artworks displayed in this virtual museum are held in private, corporate and institutional collections in and outside Nigeria.
And here’s a sample of what’s on view:
The Next article does a good job of describing what you’ll see on the site:
The Virtual Museum of Modern Nigerian Art has 10 rooms, a number of which are dedicated to major Nigerian art schools and styles.
Master printmaker, Bruce Onobrakpeya, however, has an exhibition solely dedicated to him in recognition of his landmark artistic achievements. There is the Zaria Exhibition Room, Nsukka Exhibition Room, Lagos Exhibition Room, Yaba Exhibition Room, and The Oshogbo Experiment.
The virtual museum also features Ife Exhibition Room, Auchi Exhibition Room, and The Future (which showcases works of a group of young artists who have not yet been stylistically defined).
81 artists are spread across the rooms at present, but Castellote intends to increase the number to 100 by the end of the year. There are also approximately 400 works comprising mostly paintings and sculptures, but the architect and his assistant hope to gather more by working with art collectors and artists.
There is also provision for a virtual exhibition space which will feature past, present, and upcoming exhibitions, apart from the artists and rooms.
It’s unclear to me how virtual museums will develop, and whether they attract visitors steadily after the initial burst of interest. But for countries like Nigeria striving to stake out territory in the contemporary art world, they seem worth a try.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of the Virtual Museum of Modern Nigerian Art