By Damiete Braide
NK Art Showroom, in collaboration with Nike Art Gallery, is set to hold a group exhibition entitled The Discovery, with the subtheme ‘Scenes From Everyday, on September 19-24, 2021, at 3B Thompson Avenue, Ikoyi, Lagos. The artworks to be exhibited are on cultural heritage.
Tobi Nancy Keshinro, a young and talented artist heads NK Art Showroom. Also a member of the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) and Female Artists Association of Nigeria (FEAAN), Lagos, Keshinro recalled COVID-19 made her realise her innate talent, “During that period, people were indoors, and, since I like arts, I decided to go into art —Why not just do something that will make a difference in the country? I decided to see beyond my vision, and that was how NK Art Showroom was established.”
The forthcoming exhibition is the first exhibition she will be organising, and the title, The Discovery, came from her passion and profession of what she has discovered in the art industry, while the sub theme is about things happening in the environment from the artist’s point of view.
Participating artists that will feature in the exhibition include Ohams Albert, Hakeem Salaam, Hamid Ibrahim, Nancy Keshy, Wallace Ejoh. Others are Ikechukwu Eziege, Bede Umeh, Onyinye Ezennia, Luke Osaro, Idowu Sonaya, and Chinyere Ibenye.
“The exhibition will not be a one-off event, but there will be continuity, and each exhibition will be better than the previous one,” she said. Keshinro’s motivation for art was the love for art generally, “I always love art and, recently, I decided to just make good of it by helping artists promote their works. I see that they have challenges in promoting their works in Nigeria, and I want to be that person that will help them promote their works.
“NK Art Showroom is about promoting artworks, helping artistes in showcasing their works globally, because artists need acknowledgement and a commission for their works and talents. We also create vibrant relationships with artists and art collectors.”
The young artist noted the environment was conducive for the arts, because “this is Lagos, and NK Art Showroom will be literally everywhere, not just visual arts but performing arts, like paintings on the walls around Lagos just to make Lagos beautiful. In that way, it doesn’t have to be physical arts on paintings on canvas but arts generally.”
Keshinro, who studied Economics in university, assured, “We are committed to artists, and we promise to give them a very conducive atmosphere to work with, and that will serve as a mutual benefit to both parties. It is going to be a win-win for both parties.”
She named Albert Ohams as her role model, because of the way and manner he had encouraged her in her art. “I am grateful to the exposure that he has given me,” she said, adding Prof Bruce Onabrakpeya, because “he is a legend, and has impacted a lot on me and on the society.”
Explaining one of her works entitled “A Break From Reality”, she said, was about a roadside seller who approached a group of people taking photos to take her, too. She recalled, “They took photographs of her, and, at the point where she left her work to take pictures, made her happy. A Break From Reality gives her the opportunity to take a break from what she sells to take photographs.”
Keshinro’s expectation after the exhibition is that artists should see her organisation as one that keeps its promises and helps artists sell their works, because artists want their works sold. “My organisation will help them achieve this by promoting their works globally,” she assured.