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| Bisi Silva | |
|---|---|
| Name | Bisi Silva |
| Birth date | 1962 |
| Birth place | Lagos, Nigeria |
| Death date | 2019 |
| Death place | Lagos, Nigeria |
| Nationality | Nigerian |
| Occupation | curator, critic, art historian |
| Known for | Founder and director of Centre for Contemporary Art Lagos |
Bisi Silva was a Nigerian curator, critic, and cultural entrepreneur who played a pivotal role in promoting contemporary African art. She founded the Centre for Contemporary Art Lagos and curated exhibitions that connected artists and audiences across Lagos, Johannesburg, London, Paris, Amsterdam, New York, and Dakar. Silva’s practice bridged institutions such as the British Museum, the Tate, the African Union, and the Biennale di Venezia through collaborations, residencies, and public programs.
Silva was born in Lagos and studied art history and cultural studies in institutions including the University of Lagos, Goldsmiths, University of London, and other training programs associated with British Council initiatives, the African Studies Association, and exchanges that connected Lagos to centers like Paris, Amsterdam, Johannesburg, and New York City. Her formative connections involved figures and institutions such as Wole Soyinka, Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Theodore Adorno-influenced theory via European curricula, and networks including the Goethe-Institut, Institut français, and artist residencies affiliated with the Tate Modern and the Museum of Modern Art.
Silva’s curatorial career encompassed collaborations with galleries, museums, and biennials such as the Tate Modern, Serpentine Galleries, British Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum, Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa, Merdeka Palace, São Paulo Biennial, Venice Biennale, Dakar Biennale, Biennale de Paris, Manifesta, and the Johannesburg Art Gallery. She worked with artists, critics, and institutions including El Anatsui, Yinka Shonibare, Wangechi Mutu, Meschac Gaba, Simon Njami, Okwui Enwezor, Sokari Douglas Camp, Bruce Onobrakpeya, and Chika Okeke-Agulu. Silva also engaged with cultural organizations like the Prince Claus Fund, Ford Foundation, Open Society Foundations, British Council, and UNESCO on curatorial programs and capacity building.
In 2007 Silva founded the Centre for Contemporary Art Lagos, establishing a non-profit platform modeled on institutions such as the Institute of Contemporary Arts, SFMOMA, Stedelijk Museum, and independent spaces like Project Row Houses, Bag Factory, and District Six Museum. CCA Lagos collaborated with partners including the British Council, Goethe-Institut, Prince Claus Fund, Tate Modern, Smithsonian Institution, and donor organizations such as the Ford Foundation to deliver exhibitions, residencies, workshops, and public programs that linked Lagos to Accra, Abidjan, Dakar, Cairo, Casablanca, Lisbon, Brussels, and Berlin.
Silva curated and produced projects connecting artists and institutions across continents. Notable projects echoed formats seen at the Venice Biennale, Documenta, Whitney Biennial, Frieze, Art Basel, and national pavilions while spotlighting artists from across Africa and the diaspora. She organized exhibitions and projects featuring artists like Chris Ofili, Kehinde Wiley, Julie Mehretu, Hassan Hajjaj, Marina Abramović, David Adjaye (architectural collaborations), Burna Boy-adjacent cultural programmes, and thematic shows resonant with curatorial discourses from the Royal Academy of Arts, Serpentine Pavilion, and major museums. Silva’s programming included artist residencies, public talks, performance series, and collaborative exhibitions with institutions such as the Africa Centre, London, Stellenbosch University, University of the Witwatersrand, and the African Union.
Silva contributed essays, catalogues, and critical texts to publications and platforms associated with the African Arts Journal, Third Text, Artforum, Frieze, NKA: Journal of Contemporary African Art, and exhibition catalogues for the Tate Modern, British Museum, Zeitz MOCAA, and major biennials. She lectured and taught in programs at Goldsmiths, University of London, University of Johannesburg, University of Cape Town, Rhodes University, Brown University, and guest-lectured at forums organized by the Getty Foundation, Prince Claus Fund, Open Society Foundations, and the British Council. Silva participated in panels with curators and critics such as Homi K. Bhabha, Salim Abdool Karim, Simon Njami, Okwui Enwezor, and Chika Okeke-Agulu.
Silva received recognition from institutions and prizes connected to cultural leadership, including fellowships and grants from the Prince Claus Fund, Ford Foundation, British Council, African Arts Trust, and accolades from cultural organizations like the Nigeria National Merit Award-aligned bodies, UNESCO cultural programmes, and international cultural foundations that support curators and museum practitioners. Her work was cited in reviews and features by media such as The New York Times, The Guardian, Le Monde, Jeune Afrique, and art publications like ArtReview and ArtNews.
Silva’s legacy shaped the development of curatorial practice, institutional infrastructures, and artist networks across Africa and the diaspora. Her model for independent art spaces influenced initiatives in Lagos, Accra, Nairobi, Kigali, Casablanca, Cairo, Johannesburg, Dakar, and cultural policy discussions at forums including the African Union and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Silva’s advocacy for critical platforms contributed to the careers of emerging and established artists and to partnerships with major museums such as the Tate Modern, British Museum, Museum of Modern Art, Centre Pompidou, and Smithsonian Institution.
Category:Nigerian curators Category:1962 births Category:2019 deaths