+234 Art Fair Is Demystifying The Patronage of Nigerian Art

For the five days that the fair will be open this year, people will mill about the white-washed walls where over 300 artworks are on display. They will visit the children's gallery and observe the inventive works in the digital art section. More than anything, the fair will brim with art savants and people who have come to regard +234 as an avenue to discover fresh talent. An urgent necessity at a time like this.

As global art institutions report financial difficulties and inflation triggers a decline in art sales and dwindling opportunities for emerging artists, art fairs like +234 make it especially important for emerging and even mid-tier artists in the country to find buyers or even a platform to show their work.

While art spaces can sometimes be exclusionary, designing their programming to appeal to specific, often monied demographics, +234 seeks to change the culture around art patronage, especially with its second edition. The idea is to dismantle preconceived ideas of who should buy art. Instead, it introduces a culture where everyone sees themselves as patrons with a sense of duty to protect and support the arts.

"This year's theme is all about building a community and strengthening the ecosystem for artists," Tola Akerele, the Founder of SOTO Gallery, also behind the +234 fair, tells OkayAfrica.

"The quality of art here [in Nigeria] is unbelievable. We don't know what we have, and we need people to understand that artists need support. You could support them by buying their first piece or just mentoring them, or if you're a financial person, giving them financial advice when they make money, or you could give someone a space in your house (for residency) or just be an encourager." At the core of the fair's message is this: one doesn't need to be a collector to be a patron.

This year, the fair invited Nicole Asinugo as a storyteller to deliver the message of patronage as a collective duty. Asinugo is a writer, filmmaker, and the founder of Write Good Stories - a storytelling lab. Delivering the idea of patronage in a tactile way was a thrilling experience, Asinugo tells OkayAfrica. It involved designing narrative threads throughout the exhibition space, which speaks directly to this expanded idea of patronage.

First, Asinugo curated a booth at the fair, comprising solely of artworks owned by everyday people. Bankers, workers, and people without immense entrenchment in art have come to understand the importance and thrill of appreciating art even without expert knowledge.

"If you don't have a story structure before you begin an exhibition, what you could have is a disjointed experience, especially when it's a big fair," Asinugo explains. The big challenge was figuring out how to relate this idea of collective patronage to people of all ages and social brackets.

"How do you extrapolate the meaning of championing patronage of Nigerian art in a very digestible way?" Asinugo says building this narrative required guiding attendees and showing them the varied ways patronage can exist.

"What we did with Write Good Stories was introduce fun storytelling elements so that it's beyond just looking or buying the art," she says.

Around the fair, attendees can find short quotes on the floor, walls, and other hall sections, encouraging them to look inward and identify the patron in themselves. There are also fun mirrors with question prompts, such as Are you a patron? And a patronage spinning wheel that "tells you what kind of patron you are and other fun things to reiterate the idea of patronage throughout the space so it doesn't get lost."

For Rubianna Michael - a sculptor whose otherworldly, sculptural piece at the fair is tinted with caramelized honey and turmeric in polyepoxides - showing her work at this year's +234 fair was a step in overcoming "the persistent hum of imposter syndrome that often plagues creative individuals."

Michael says her work is deeply invested in exploring and expanding unorthodox methods and materials, delving into the intersection of art and science. "This involves experimenting with unconventional substances and processes, pushing the boundaries of traditional sculpture to create works that challenge established norms," she tells OkayAfrica.

According to the sculptor, spaces like +234 are vital for artists like her. It serves as a platform to showcase her work and find a diverse audience amongst the nearly 10,000 guests who attend the fair. It also opens the floor for her work to be in dialogue with other art pieces.

"The interaction with viewers often illuminates aspects of my work that I hadn't previously considered, leading to a deeper understanding of the narratives and emotions embedded within each piece," she adds.

Freddie Jacob, a Digital Artist, says being a part of the fair is especially important for a discipline rarely given the chance to interact with physical exhibition spaces. "Digital Art and Artists are shown little care, respect, and consideration in Nigeria," she tells OkayAfrica. "It's a breath of fresh air to see emerging platforms and spaces prioritize our inclusion and vital existence."

Jacobs, who took a break from her practice after becoming a new mom, says the fair has been a great way to make a soft return to the art ecosystem. "Seeing my work get spotlighted for exhibitions in the same period feels like a welcome-back bonus and encouragement," she says.

As art fairs like +234 continue to build infrastructures for Nigerian artists on the ground, a renewed sense of responsibility and protection for our art ecosystem is likely to develop even further.

As Asinugo puts it, "We're all patrons of the art. If you embrace this identity as a patron, perhaps you will see it as more than just art. We have a duty to preserve this ecosystem."