A representative of Patrons Modern & Contemporary African Art, an art advisory and dealership firm, Peter Imo, has asked the Federal Government and corporate bodies to support the growth of the nation’s untapped art industry.
He noted that the Nigerian art industry had the capacity to engage the nation’s teeming unemployed youths while also creating wealth for the country.
During an interview with journalists at the recent miniature art exhibition titled, ‘small Is beautiful,’ Imo said the Federal Government and corporate bodies had not done enough to support the art industry to tap into the $13bn African art market.
He said, “I think if we are talking about driving art as a project or as a tool for communicating, I will say the government is not doing a lot and even corporate bodies. People should have arts as part of their plan when they are constructing a building. We can also create lots of employment opportunities for Nigerians while also generating foreign exchange for the government by way of export of Nigerian arts. I think there is a lot they can do right now and this is the time.”
He noted that Nigeria was yet to tap into the African art market currently serving as a feeder of arts to its counterpart across the globe, but expressed hope that with the right support, Nigerian arts would rub shoulders with its peers in no distant time.
Also speaking, the founder and Chief Executive Officer, Liquiditti, Oragwu, who is also a collector of art works, called on the Federal Government to create the enabling environment for the art industry to thrive, stating that Nigeria had the largest population in Africa with many big names who had made their marks on the African art space.
“We have new arts and we have a full collection of artists that are coming to form right now and so Africa has a large part to play in the new world art is creating, “ he said.
The Head, Sales, Commercio Partners, Taiwo Adegbulugbe, said art was an important tool for preserving wealth, adding that as financial advisors, Commercio, identified art as an area it would tap into to drive the nation’s art industry.
She stated that the art industry had a lot of economic potential to offer, but was largely untapped, calling on stakeholders in the industry to bring about the much needed support for the art industry.
SOURCE: PUNCH
