From left, Head, Marketing and Corporate Communications, Ecobank Nigeria Limited, Jide Sipe; Founder, Soto Gallery and curator +234 Art Fair, Mrs. Tola Akerele; Head, Corporate Communications, Ecobank Nigeria, Mr. Austen Osokpor and PR Manager, +234 Art Fair, Maeva Sabot at the media briefing to announce the +234 Art Fair sponsored by Ecobank, Africa Finance Corporation and Soto Gallery held at Ecobank Pan African Centre, Victoria Island on Thursday in Lagos. Photo; Sylvester Okoruwa.
THE management of Ecobank Nigeria Plc has explained that the bank’s decision to support the nation’s creative industry and partner Soto Gallery for this year’s +234Art Fair, was to enable the industry contribute its own quota to the growth and development of the nation’s economy.
Briefing the media on the ongoing, ten-day fair, in Lagos, the Managing Director/Regional Executive, Ecobank Nigeria, Mr. Bolaji Lawal, stated that the present state of the nation’s economy had made it imperative for corporate organizations to support noble dreams and aspirations of Nigerians.
“So what we’ve done is to look at young promising Nigerians, especially the ‘ungalleried’ artists, in the country, and provide them the platform to grow. It’s not about us, it’s about the country. It’s about the creative industry,” he stated.
The Ecobank Nigeria’s boss added that, if well harnessed, the nation’s creative industry could be a source of economic turn-around for the country, in future.
He therefore expressed the hope that some of the over 220 artists, participating at the fair, would turn out to be dollar-earning artists, and in consequence, be a source of foreign exchange earners for the country.
“We believe if we are able to bring out five to ten of these people, and take them to a higher level of financial freedom and independence, we must have succeeded in so many ways,” he stated.
In her remarks, the Founder Soto Gallery and Curator +234 Art Fair, Mrs. Tola Akerele stated that the ten-day fair, designed for young, ‘ungalleried’, and emerging artists, would feature Fine Art, Photography and Sculpture.
While expressing her delight on the partnership, she added that the Gallery decided to partner with Ecobank because its values align with those of the Gallery.
She stated further that the theme of the fair, ‘A New Heritage’, is designed to serve as a melting pot of artistic creativity from different strata of the society.
Some of the highlights of the fair, she stated, include: diverse art exhibits, Art-centric bookstore,Immersive children’s area, VIP lounge and engaging Masterclasses and Workshops, among others.
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