Artpedia Nigeria Launches new gallery space

Lagos, February 2021: Artpedia Nigeria launches new gallery space with The Persistence of Time, a group art exhibition featuring top Nigerian contemporary artists and opening on Saturday, 20 February to Friday, 30 April 2021.

The Persistence of Time brings together 28 paintings from the gallery’s expansive collection featuring artists Ada Godspower, Elizabeth Ekpetorson, Frederick Idele, Ikechukwu Ezeigwe, Habeeb Andu and Sejiro Avoseh.

The title of the exhibition borrows from the iconic painting of Spanish artist, Salvador Dalí, one of the remarkable artists of the Surrealism art movement named The Persistence of Memory (1931). Tallying with the movement, it presents a school of artistry that has been shaped by time — through individual experiences and social events — and distinctively marked by the capricious forms and precise reflections of the unconscious mind.

The show is a walk through the socio-political connotations of Avoseh easily identified for his style of fusing collage and painting techniques to create dissimilar forms layered in a complex manner to the hasty yet measured brushstrokes of Elizabeth Ekpetorson who logs time and allows its resulting elements such as emotions and reactions fuel her artistic production.

It is almost always a prerequisite in many art shows to create a concept that introduces a completely fresh meaning and sense to a collection. The exhibition, The Persistence of Time theorises the influence of time in artistic innovation. This is reflected in the interconnectedness of the 28 randomly selected and displayed artworks by six artists who have independently produced each body of work at different times (dating from 2017 to 2021). It also realises other sub-themes totalled as creative inspirations and range from sociopolitical influences to identity that indicate the actuality — accurately serving as a repository where evidences of the now will be stored for posterity.

Established in November 2020 by Onomen “Nomzky” Onohi, a familiar name amongst the Nigerian music scene as well as an avid collector of art, this exhibition will be the first in the Artpedia gallery space, officially launching it into the art community and sector. The Persistence of Time is curated by Lagos-based curator, Kennii Ekundayo.

Participating Artists: Ada Godspower, Elizabeth Ekpetorson, Frederick Idele, Ikechukwu Ezeigwe, Habeeb Andu and Sejiro Avoseh.

About the Curator:

Kehinde “Kennii” Ekundayo is an independent art curator based in Lagos, Nigeria. Specific about modern and contemporary African art, she has curated exhibitions around the country and internationally. Her professional practice began in March 2017 with a group exhibition of amateur photographers, and has grown to curating key projects involving the likes of revered legendary artist, Bruce Onobrakpeya and Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, in various media ranging from drawings and paintings, to film and photographs, to texts and installations amongst other art forms.

She is affiliated with the Committee for Relevant Art (CORA), a Nigerian not-for-profit platform for artists, art critics and aficionados, and culture advocates as the Communications Officer. She is also a part of the organising team of the Lagos Book & Art Festival, LABAF, a yearly prime literacy and youth empowerment project that recently concluded its 22nd edition.

Ekundayo is head curator at Galeri ODUMIJE, a research and curatorial outfit she recently established and which operates out of Lagos, Nigeria.

Exhibition Details:

The Persistence of Time
20th February to 30th April, 2021

Artpedia Gallery
1 Oluwakayode Jacobs Crescent, Off Freedom Way
Lekki Phase 1, Lagos State

Opening Hours: Monday-Friday, 10 AM-7 PM
Saturday, 11 AM-7 PM

About Artpedia

Artpedia Gallery is a contemporary art gallery and creative experience in the heart of Lagos, Nigeria. It offers an intimate space for lovers of contemporary art and fine wine to come together. The gallery boasts of a diverse range of authentic and affordable artworks crafted by legendary and leading contemporary artists.

Our primary objectives are to spotlight the best creatives in Nigeria and Africa; influence art appreciation; democratise art education; deepen and grow art followership and; ultimately make the engagements and conversations around art a cultural norm. We achieve these by facilitating art exhibitions, events and workshops that bring artists and art enthusiasts together in the same spaces  through physical and virtual connections.

Contact Information
Website: www.artpedia.ng
Social media: @artpediang
Phone: +234 (1) 888 0094
Email: contact@artpedia.ng