NIVATOUR for global tour

In preparation for this first adventure, an advance team from the NGA led by Abdullahi Muku, the Ag. Director-General, paid a working visit to officials of the fine art sector, under the Ministry of Culture in Egypt, in order to ensure a successful outing.

The visual art train is expected to travel to major cities of the world with works mainly from the Nigerian national collection and ten different artists to each country NIVATOUR will be visiting. Works from the various art genre ranging from paintings, to sculpture, textiles, ceramics, photographs amongst others, will be on display along with a variety of stylized forms and diverse techniques.

Mr. Muku informed that, “the total number of works is estimated to be almost a hundred pieces that will be exhibited in two world class venues – The palace of Arts in Cairo and the Bibliotheca Alexandrina in Alexandria. The events will include, but not limited to exhibition display, press conference at venues, a proposed interactive workshop that will feature five artists from Nigeria and Egypt that will experiment on a synergy of some sorts during the visual art discourse.

“There will also be a “Nigerian day” where our cuisine will be served and savored by all while our contingent and the Egyptian officials will display our rich traditional wears (Adire attire).All these activities will be starting in Cairo on the 25th of July, 2010 and will run till the 8th of August, 2010, rounding off in Alexandria,” Muku said.

The purpose of the world tour, he said, is to provide opportunity for the best of Nigerian visual arts to be showcased and also to serve as a platform for selected Nigerian artists on this train to network and experience a curatorial collaboration with fellow professionals in countries where the visual arts train will berth.

In another event, the NGA, following series of meetings with the Tate Modern and Tate Britain has expressed desire to collaborate with the organizations to forge enduring partnerships aimed at strengthening the Nigerian visual arts sector.

The NGA delegation visited the exhibition halls, stores and other intrinsic parts of the Tate Group the history of the Tate building originally built and operated as a power station before it’s conversion into a museum of modern art; the library at Tate Britain ; exhibition halls at both Tate Modern and Tate Britain ; the stores and the conservation studios.

It is believed that the experience and information garnered by the team will be valuable in the repositioning effort of the management of the NGA.

Speaking on the invitation extended to the Gallery to exhibit at the 2010 FIFA World Cup, Mr. Titus Akusu, of the Curatorial Services Department, said, “This provides an opportunity for exchange of material culture in form of souvenirs. It is also an avenue for networking to further advance socio-cultural and economic relationships. As we savour football artistry, let us have it at the back of our mind that while culture defines us as individual countries, football unites us as a global family.”