NIGERIA SPEAKS! Atlanta Art Exhibition to Feature Contemporary Nigerian Art Forms.

ATLANTA, GA (May 24, 2022) – On Wednesday, May 25th, the Consulate General of Nigeria in Atlanta, Georgia, in partnership with Nike Art Gallery located in Lagos Nigeria will host “Nigeria Speaks,” an art exhibition that will highlight the wide breadth and richness of Nigerian culture, arts, creativity, literature, languages and other forms of expressions.

 

“Whether in art, music, poetry, spoken word, drama, theatre of films, creativity has increasingly become the most valued tool for the expression of our identity as Africans,” said Amina Amira Smaila, Ph. D, Consul General of Nigeria, Atlanta. “Nigeria Speaks” is central to sharing, reshaping, retelling and projecting Nigerian and African art, in all of its diversity, depth and beauty,” adds Consul General Smaila.

 

This invitation only event will highlight the work of the Chief (Mrs.) Nike Okundaye, the proprietress of Nike Art Gallery and her associates. Chief Nike is a leading art expressionist, and one of the foremost personalities in the development of African arts and crafts. Chief Nike is an accomplished artist and has continued to be a trailblazer in opening frontiers for the development of Nigerian arts and galleries, as well as promoting Nigerian textiles, especially adire, which is indigenous to the southwest of Nigeria.

 

Her gallery in Lagos, Nigeria is home to over 8,000 pieces of art, and is one of the largest of its kind in Africa. The works to be displayed, will depict the hopes and aspirations of the African people, especially the womenfolk in dealing with various daily challenges concerning family, socio-economic development, nation building and overall outlook of human existence. 

 

The importance and cultural impact of this exhibition cannot be overstated; the commitment of this exhibition is to bring together government representatives, artists, international institutions, private sector, foundations, and other stakeholders to share their experiences and forge strategic partnerships to advance cultural and creative industries.

 

This will include generating momentum and raising ambition to unlock art and culture’s transformative potential in making societies more prosperous. “Now more than ever, we must begin to allow our humanity to express itself. The role of art, as the custodian of our heritage, cannot be minimized. I am heartened to see that Nigerian artists, and artists of African heritage are advancing the African narrative and having tremendous impact, despite the many structural barriers they face,” said Consul General Smaila. When the exhibition opens officially to the public, at the Residence of the Consul General of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in Buckhead, Atlanta, Georgia, visitors will enjoy an exhibition designed to generate momentum in unlocking art and culture’s transformative potential as well as strengthening the cultural diplomacy between Nigeria and the United States.

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