Driven by the desire to redefine the negative narratives about Edo, it’s heritage and people, The Benin Art Fair (TBAF) – an art festival designed to promote the culture, artists and other creatives of Edo State will berth in Benin City this month.
The ten-day event aims to reclaim Edo State’s prominence in the contemporary art discourse within Nigeria and across Africa. It is also to honour Edo State’s rich artistic heritage while providing a platform for traditional and contemporary artists from the region.
T-BAF seeks to bring the world’s attention to Edo State’s exceptional creative culture, redefining the narrative of its unique artistic legacy.
Director, Benin Art Fair, Olorogun Jeff Ajueshi has said that the fair is to revitalize Edo State’s creative culture, establishing it as a premier global arts and culture destination. He stated that the current situation must be reformed along with the morbid stigmatization of violence, cultism, terrorism, prostitution, human trafficking, drug trade and other nefarious social vices that have overshadowed the sustained artistic and cultural legacy of the state. These narratives, he said, have led to the conception of The Benin Art Fair (TBAF) that will project the profound artistic heritage and contemporary creativity of the Benin people to the global art market.
The fair, which will hold at Abstract Backyard on 33 Aiguobasimwin Crescent, G.R.A., Benin City between November 29 and December 8, is an influential cultural art event designed to spotlight and support traditional, contemporary, and modern and avant garde art and artists from Edo State. The festival tagged “Homage To The Red City” promises to serve as a dynamic platform that celebrates the unique artistic history, traditional art practices and innovations of this culturally rich ancient city.
It will feature breathtaking activities which includes but not limited to antiques and cultural showcase, contemporary art exhibition, photo festival among others.
Ajueshi said that the long term objective of the fair which will be curated by Mr. James Irabor is to rejig a restoration process that would reposition the creative culture of Edo State particularly it’s artistic and cultural sites, to their rightful places on the global tourism map.
“We intend to rekindle the dwindling charm and allure of this ancient city by highlighting it’s ability to produce top talents in the local traditional art practices and the international creative industries.
“This project is significant because it allows us to bring the beautiful experiences of international art shows and cultural events we have witnessed to the delectation of our people. More importantly, it will enable us create a lasting legacy project, celebrating and honouring our history and government dedication to preserving her people’s image while protecting their cultural and artistic heritage,” Ajueshi noted.
He assured that the fair will successfully position the state as a key player in the global art scene, drawing attendance and participation from various destinations while enhancing the international cultural status of the State. “It is geared towards evolving into a cornerstone of the Nigerian art subsector, acting as a transformative cultural catalyst capable of generating and expanding revenue for the ancient city of Benin and the entire Edo State in general,” he added.
He recalled that as visual art stakeholder, ‘I have witnessed talented artists from this ancient historically, culturally rich and artistically vibrant Edo State, which has produced some of the most reverred personalities in the creative industry being sidelined.’
Highlights of the event include private viewing, live wood sculpting and performance art, talks by eminent artists like Dr. Bruce Onobrakpeya and Enotie Ogbebor, on bridging traditional and contemporary art practices, panel discussions on topics such as art education, cultural preservation, and the role of photography in capturing history, Benin Art Fair Concert Night featuring celebrated Edo music legends.
The Benin Art Fair is proudly supported by notable partners and sponsors, including Hyde Energy, Abstract Backyard, Abstract Restaurant, Thought Pyramid Art Centre, Coronation, Platform, Gramen Petroserve, Kellog Tolaram, Trustbanc, The Lakeyard Cultural Centre, Prime Agro Seeds, Ministry of Arts, Culture, and Tourism Edo State, Edo State Government, The Osa Okunbo Foundation, Stella Stars Sports Academy Benin City, AK&CO and Daz Teea Cosmetics.