Art Education, Value Creation as Cornerstone at New Gemini Art Gallery

In an encounter with Raphael Akinnire, the founder and director, Gemini Art Gallery, Lagos Island, the art dealer revealed how the new gallery would change the script for arts engagement in Nigeria and beyond. Yinka Olatunbosun reports

The value of a work of art is sacrosanct in any artist-gallery conversation. Hence, it was no surprise to find –albeit midway into the press engagement- at Gemini Art Gallery talks about creating proper market value for artists’ works and improving the quality of art education in communities. The journey of establishing the gallery began two decades ago but finally came to a fruition in the pandemic year. The global health crisis in 2020 couldn’t stop the will behind creating a space for artists to grow, interact and impact their world.

While reflecting on the vision of the gallery, the director and founder, Gemini Art Gallery, Raphael Akinnire revealed that age would not be a barrier in art promotion.

“We want to work with the young and old,’’ he declared. “Right now, we are working on a project in secondary schools to inculcate art into young minds. A lot of young people don’t have that art appreciation. They tend to focus on ways to make money fast. But for me, my connection with artists is rooted in education. That’s what is lacking in the education sector. We have a lot of people who can draw very well. They are good with draftsmanship. They don’t have a background in art history. That’s why some works lack content. The artists who sell their works for as much as $1m do so because of the content behind it. 

In the heart of Onikan rests this gallery that showcases artistic treasures from the likes of Bruce Onobrakpeya, Wale Alimi, Samson and Rotimi Akinloye, Emmanuel Dudu, John Ogbeta, Donald Onuoha, George Edozie, Bob Nosa, Duke Asidere and others. For Akinnire, artists should be committed to documenting the period.

“The lockdown to an artist is one of the best moments,’’ he observed. “It didn’t affect me negatively. It only structured my thinking. These are the things that people should talk about. Artists should document the period. In Nigeria, only a few artists did something during that period. It happened but no one wanted to talk about it. And it is our problem. That’s where education comes in, we need to document our time. Bruce Onobrakpeya has taken Nigerian art to a global stage. We need to think global. We have the platform to get what we want.’’

There’s no gainsaying that technology is changing methods of art sales and ownership. With the introduction of crypto art, the rules of engagement for artwork ownership is being altered. When Akinnire was asked if this is no threat to the local market for art, he responded: “What we are doing is a global business. If we need the tech to support what we are doing, then we need to embrace it. That is all we need. That’s what makes it easier for all to be in contact outside our boundaries. If we can remove ethnic rivalry, we are good people. The boundaries are what the internet is here to break.’’

On the possibility of future residencies, Akinnire hinted that a project in Ajegunle would be kicked off by the gallery that would involve all the artists in the community, both established and emerging.