The 74-year-old textile artist and gallery owner, Chief Nike Davies-Okundaye, will be among the honourees at the 2025 ArtMiabo International Art Festival, bringing art, commerce, and technology into a single space.
The illustrious career of textile artist and gallery owner, Chief (Mrs) Nike Davies-Okundaye, will be loudly appreciated at the 2025 ArtMiabo International Art Festival (AMIAF).
The annual event, helmed by artist Enyadike Miabo, is a leading platform for showcasing creativity, innovation, and cultural heritage. It celebrates artistic excellence, bringing together diverse talents from around the globe to Lagos. Seeking to merge art, commerce, and technology, AMIAF continues spotlighting underrepresented artists while fostering meaningful connections within the creative industry.
At the fourth edition themed ‘Artconomy 2025: Redefining the Global Art Marketplace’ from April 29 to May 1, at Admiralty Conference Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos, ‘Mama Nike’ as she is fondly called, will top the awardees list.
AMIAF founder Miabo explained that creating art without commensurate appreciation has left an army of artists out of a sustainable career, hence the decision to always appreciate them at the four-year-old festival.
Okundaye, whose sterling career has spanned over 50 years, has numerous honours, but the ‘AMIAF Artconomy Award’ is unique and discipline specific. It is based on her contribution to the art economy within and outside Nigeria. She will be garlanded alongside filmmaker Bolanle Austen-Peters and curator Yusuf Durodola at this year’s festival.
Miabo explained the choice of the awardees: “Chief (Mrs) Nike Okundaye, founder of the renowned Nike Art Gallery, has been a transformative force in preserving and promoting traditional Nigerian art forms. Known for her expertise in Adire (indigo-dyed cloth) and her contributions to empowering women through art, Chief Mrs Okundaye’s legacy is one of resilience, creativity, and cultural pride.”
Miabo, who further noted that the honour will celebrate Okundaye’s impact on the preservation of Nigerian heritage and her role as a mentor to countless artists across generations, said it will be a “prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of her immense contributions to the global art community.”
The festival founder explained that all the awardees were selected based on their contributions to the art economy of Nigeria. “Chief Okundaye owns the biggest private Art gallery in Africa, with well over 10,000 works of art in her possession. She helps artists sell their works in her gallery and supports them in other ways.”
The main honouree, who couldn’t contain her excitement while commending Miabo for improving artists’ capacity, said: “I am delighted in what AMIAF is doing, particularly happy for Miabo, who has been using her platform to promote artists, as we must ensure that we all keep supporting our young and established artists. I look forward to the award, which I hope will inspire others to do more for artists.”
She recalled visiting the third edition of AMIAF last year, commending the organisers’ efforts to celebrate sculpture “in a unique way”.
Okundaye noted that even foreigners appreciate what Nigerian artists have done for African art, urging people to celebrate their own. “If white people have been celebrating us for our works for many years, we in Africa should also celebrate ourselves more, which is what Miabo is doing with the awards she gives yearly.”
The celebrated artist and special guest at a previous edition also commended Miabo for helping to sell artworks, noting that she identifies with the challenges that come from doing so. “When I see people like Miabo gathering artists at big events like the ArtMiabo, I appreciate her because it’s tough selling art. I have visited ArtMiabo exhibitions many times and know the effort she has put into them. It’s a passion, selling art, particularly in this tough time of our economy.”
Okundaye joined Dr Bruce Onobrakpeya as a special guest to hand the AMIAF Sculptors Odyssey Awards to the recipients at the 2024 edition in Lagos.
About the forthcoming festival, Miabo said, “This year’s AMIAF promises a dynamic lineup of exhibitions, workshops, and discussions. It will provide artists, collectors, and enthusiasts a platform to engage with the transformative power of art.”
She disclosed that corporate supporters have been coming on board gradually. “Once again, we welcome Multichoice Nigeria and JCDecaux as our ‘Legacy Media Partners’,” Miabodisclosed. “We truly appreciate their enduring partnership with the Artmiabo International Art Festival AMIAF since its first Edition, going into the fourth uninterrupted,” she added.
Under Miabo’s visionary leadership, AMIAF has become a beacon for cultural exchange and artistic innovation, underscoring the importance of art as a driving force for economic and social development.
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