De Arts Place Arrives at Lekki
Anew gallery space opened recently in Lekki, Lagos. Called De Arts Place Continuum, this gallery has been in existence for about two decades in the Lagos mainland neighbourhood Magodo. Now, its opening in Lekki gives its residents and art collectors in general have one more gallery to visit.
At the recent ceremony to usher in the gallery, the Programme Director, Marshall Nwauwa received scores of guests who showed varying interests in the works. Without missing the opportunity to arrest the attention of a potential buyer, Nwauwa took his listeners on a brief tour of the gallery showing the works of the art masters in the maze of the gallery’s collection.
He later explained why the gallery is pushing the physical boundaries to reach out to more art enthusiasts.
“Our prices are a bit friendly and many of our clients have asked that we replicate what we have at Magodo here on the island,” explained the artist who is also in the business of promoting arts. “This is called De Art Place Continuum. We are just here to bring together art connoisseurs and friends of the art to see art from our own perspective. Every gallery represents a certain perspective.’’
Art appeals to different kinds of people. The young always seem to be curious about the meaning behind the works. The old study each work hard enough to discern its possible future value that the sound of clinking glasses at the opening cocktail could just be a distraction. Nwauwa knew this; hence his next remarks on individual’s perspective of a piece of art and what the gallery is offering.
“We have works that are abstract and others that are very contemporary. We also have traditional art. We want some thing that does not just have aesthetic appeal but can also add value to the collector. We have works of the masters and emerging talents.’’
Sola Olamakinde, the CEO, De Arts Place, was excited at the success story of the gallery and its expansion. “It is a mark of progress and determination to impact on the environment,” he said. “These days, there is so much tension in the land. People who are already paranoid or frustrated need something that will relieve them of such burden. That is my reason for engaging in this business and for bringing it here. The rich are the ones feeling the heat because they like to live large. Now they need something that can psychologically douse the tension art is very therapeutic. That is why many buy art and collect art. They are attracted to anything that appeals to their emotions.”
To carve a niche in an expanding market, De Arts Place, asides organising exhibitions, will run summer art classes for children and students at large.
“Here, we want to incorporate trainings for art wives and domestic servants, retirees. That will make us really different. We are poised to developing arts. We are looking at collaborating with a number of established galleries on the island,’’ he promised.