Access Holdings Plc and Coronation Group hosted a virtual event in collaboration with Tate Modern to mark World Art Day, focusing on Nigerian modernism through a session titled "In Conversation with Osei Bonsu: Inside Nigerian Modernism." The event featured a virtual tour of Tate Modern's Nigerian Modernism exhibition and a dialogue between Osei Bonsu, curator at Tate Modern, and Daniel Wallis, art educator at Tate. It brought together staff from both Nigerian firms, underscoring institutional investment in arts and culture as foundational to societal development.
Ngozi Akinyele, Chief Communications and Marketing Officer at Coronation Group, opened the session by highlighting the importance of cultural and intellectual capital alongside financial capital, citing Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede CFR, Chairman of both organisations. She stressed that access to art should be democratised and available to all, not limited to a privileged few. The discussion explored how Nigerian modernism evolved in the 20th century, shaped by indigenous traditions, ethnic diversity, and global influences, producing distinct artistic movements and visual languages.
Osei Bonsu emphasized that Nigerian modernism is not a derivative of European modernism but an independent reimagining rooted in Nigeria's multicultural heritage. The exhibition at Tate Modern, which recently received a visit from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was noted as a sign of growing international recognition of Nigerian art. Amaechi Okobi, Chief Communications Officer at Access Holdings Plc, closed the event by affirming the value of partnerships that amplify African narratives globally. The session reinforced ongoing efforts to preserve Nigerian cultural identity and expand access to art for future generations.
Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede champions cultural capital as equal to financial capital, yet his institutions remain primarily associated with banking and elite finance rather than public access to art. The celebration of Nigerian modernism at Tate Modern highlights a global embrace of Nigeria's cultural output, while domestic access to such art remains limited to private collections and foreign museums. If cultural capital is as vital as financial capital, then its preservation and dissemination should not depend solely on corporate goodwill or overseas institutions. The irony lies in Nigerian art gaining meaning abroad while its creators and communities struggle for visibility and support at home.
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