Nike Art Gallery

Nike Art Gallery Nike Art Gallery is a prominent private art institution located in Lagos, Nigeria, founded by textile artist Nike Davies-Okundaye. The gallery functions as a major hub for contemporary Nigerian and West African visual arts, connecting traditional textile practices with contemporary painting, sculpture, and mixed media. It hosts exhibitions, workshops, and cultural exchanges that engage artists and audiences from Lagos, Abuja, Benin City, Ibadan, and international partners such as London, Paris, New York, and Berlin.

History

The gallery was established by Nike Davies-Okundaye amid a postcolonial resurgence in Nigerian visual culture associated with figures such as Bruce Onobrakpeya, Ben Enwonwu, Uche Okeke, El Anatsui, and Benedict Chukwuma Idahosa. Early decades saw collaborations and exchanges with institutions like the National Museum of Nigeria, University of Lagos, University of Ibadan, Ahmadu Bello University, and collectors linked to Zaria Art Society and the Nsukka School. The gallery’s development paralleled major events including the Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC) legacy, the emergence of the Lagos Biennial scene, and residencies connected to Tate Modern, Centre Pompidou, Smithsonian Institution, and Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Donor relationships and loans have drawn from estates and collections tied to Hassan Musa, Yinka Shonibare, Chris Ofili, Owusu-Ankomah, and Nkiru Nzegwu.

Collections and Exhibitions

Collections emphasize Yoruba textile traditions, indigo adire, batik, and contemporary painting by artists linked to the Osogbo School, Zaria Art Society, and the Nsukka School. Permanent holdings include works by Nike Davies-Okundaye herself alongside pieces by El Anatsui, Ben Enwonwu, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Uche Okeke, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Yinka Shonibare CBE, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (visual collaborators), Bisi Silva, Nkiru Anumudu, Peju Alatise, Wole Soyinka (illustrative commissions), Adewale Oluwaseyi, Gani Odutokun, Benedict Odeti, Emmanuel Oke and regional masters such as Lamidi Fakeye, Kunle Ajibade, Chief Joseph Osu, and Obiora Udechukwu. Temporary exhibitions have featured projects with curators from National Gallery of Modern Art (New Delhi), National Museum of African Art, Serpentine Galleries, São Paulo Biennial, and collaborations with collectors associated with The Africa Centre and African Artists’ Foundation.

Architecture and Location

The gallery occupies a compound in Lekki and previously in Onikan, Lagos Island, situated near cultural nodes including Freedom Park (Lagos), National Theatre, Lagos, Tafawa Balewa Square, and the Museum of Nigerian History. Its architecture blends Yoruba courtyard typologies, timber workshop spaces, and exhibition halls interpreted alongside influences from Brazilian architecture in Lagos, Victorian architecture in Lagos Island, and contemporary adaptive reuse strategies seen at Zeitz MOCAA, The Broad, and Stedelijk Museum projects. The complex includes studio spaces, a textile workshop inspired by traditional adire looms, a sculpture yard, and gallery rooms configured for rotating exhibitions and international loan shows drawn from institutions such as British Museum, Louvre, Victoria and Albert Museum, and Rijksmuseum.

Programs and Education

The gallery runs artist residencies, apprenticeships, and community outreach linked with the Nike Art Gallery Textile Centre model and partnerships with academic and cultural organizations like University of Lagos Department of Fine Arts, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ahmadu Bello University Department of Fine Arts, British Council (Nigeria), Goethe-Institut Lagos, Alliance Française de Lagos, and UNICEF Nigeria cultural programs. Educational offerings include indigo dye workshops, batik training, printmaking courses influenced by screen printing traditions practised by members of the Zaria Art Society, and youth mentorships aligned with initiatives such as African Artists’ Foundation Education and the Prince Claus Fund programs. Public programming has included panel discussions with curators from Tate Modern, symposia connected to Cultural Policy in Africa forums, and touring workshops that have partnered with the Lagos State Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture and private sponsors associated with Dangote Group and MTN Nigeria.

Notable Artists and Works

The gallery has exhibited or commissioned works by prominent artists including Nike Davies-Okundaye, El Anatsui, Ben Enwonwu, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Uche Okeke, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Toyin Ojih Odutola, Yinka Shonibare CBE, Peju Alatise, Lamidi Fakeye, Gani Odutokun, Nkiru Nzegwu, Bisi Silva, Chris Ofili, Hassan Musa, Victor Ehikhamenor, Nnenna Okore, Obiora Udechukwu, Ibrahim El-Salahi, Benedict Chukwuma Idahosa, El Anatsui’s sculptures, Bruce Onobrakpeya’s prints, Ben Enwonwu’s portraits, Toyin Ojih Odutola’s drawings, Njideka Akunyili Crosby’s mixed-media, Yinka Shonibare’s installations, Peju Alatise’s sculptures, Victor Ehikhamenor’s paintings, Lamidi Fakeye’s carvings, Nnenna Okore’s fibre works, and Ibrahim El-Salahi’s modernist compositions. The gallery’s commissions have been included in exhibitions at Tate Modern, V&A, Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Centre Pompidou, Zeitz MOCAA, and regional biennials like the Dak’ART Biennale, Venice Biennale satellite projects, and the Lagos Biennial.

Category:Museums in Lagos Category:Art museums and galleries in Nigeria