From the red carpet leading to the entrance of the fair, the ambience did not only reflect the rhythm, symbolism and spirit of the Red City, but also the structure of Benin’s cultural identity.
Inside the spacious booths, were contemporary artworks ranging from large size to miniatures, collectibles; knowledge and archives; and sound of Benin, which offers guests a feel of the kingdom’s traditional and contemporary musical heritage.
Welcome to this year’s Benin Art Fair, which opened between November 11th and 16th at Abstract Backyard on Aiguobasimwin Street, GRA, Benin City.
These elements extend the experience of the Benin Art Fair beyond visual art, transforming it into an educational and sensorial journey through Benin’s evolving identity. Little wonder the huge turn-out of guests that thronged the fair for the four days.
After a successful maiden edition last year, the second edition of The Benin Art Fair, with the theme Legacy and innovation: Celebrating the Past, Present, and Future of Benin Art drew thousands of visitors over four days marking historic moments for Benin’s vibrant art community.
The opening began with a welcome and guided tour led by the Fair Director, Olorogun Jeff Ajueshi for delegates from Edo State Government.
In attendance were the Chief of Staff to the Governor of Edo State, Hon. Gani Audu, and the Commissioner of Lands and Housing, Hon. Yakubu Musa (Yakson) and the former Commissioner for Arts, Culture and Tourism, Dr. Uyi Oduwa-Malaka.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Tourism and Creative Economy, Anto Lecky, applauded the vision and impact of the fair.
The government delegation explored the curated booths that featured miniatures and collectibles, knowledge and archives, and the sound of Benin. They also engaged with the interactive Notes To Benin installation.
The fair featured over a hundred artworks including sculptures and installations, which included master pieces by celebrated sculptor Ben Osawe, Oka Newton and other emerging and established Nigerian artists across the country.
The event was declared open by Director of Media and Publicity The Benin Art Fair, Mr. Austin Asemota, while Azieyiosabo Cultural Troupe and two indigenous Benin musical groups thrilled the guests.
Initiator and Director of the fair, Olorogun Jeff Ajueshi described the fair as an unparalel opportunity for artists, sponsors, and art lovers to engage with the rich artistic culture of Benin while embracing contemporary creativity.
He said with a growing international reputation for its art and culture, Benin is the ideal location to elevate Nigeria’s art scene and showcase the diversity and innovation of Nigerian and African artists.
To him, it is also an opportunity for many artists to expand their visibility and showcase new projects, noting that the fair is to position Benin City as a leading hub for global art and cultural exchange.
According to him, the objectives of the Benin Art Fair include to showcase Benin’s art legacy, promote local artists, enhance international exposure and foster cultural dialogue.
Curator of the fair, Mr. Oluwatosin Jekami, said that beyond the celebrated bronzes and royal artistry lays an expansive terrain yet to be fully uncovered; a lane that spans intersections of contemporary art, entertainment, culture and indigenous traditions.
“The Benin Art Fair was conceived to address this continuum: to document, interpret, and re-present the evolving narratives of Benin’s artistic journey,” he added.
Jekami explained that this year’s fair advances this mission by emphasizing both legacy and innovation.
“These are, obviously, two intertwined forces that have always defined Benin’s creative ethos. The Fair recognises that Benin’s past glories were not static achievements but dynamic engagements with creativity, spirituality, and societal order. This year, we extend that engagement into the present, examining how artists reinterpret heritage in dialogue with modernity and global artistic discourse,” he noted.
Continuing, he said: “The artworks presented at the fair have been deliberately selected to showcase the chain between master and apprentice, heritage and experiment.
They include works by renowned masters whose practices have defined the trajectory of Benin and Nigerian art, fast-rising Nigerian artists who bring fresh interpretations of tradition, and emerging Benin originated artists who are actively sustaining and redefining the expectations placed upon them by virtue of their cultural inheritance.
“Through these dialogues, the Fair becomes not only a platform for exhibition but also a site of intergenerational exchange and critical reflection.”
According to the curator, this year’s Benin Art Fair positions itself as both an archive and a laboratory, noting that the curatorial goal for this year is that it becomes a place where memory informs innovation, and tradition encounter transformation. “It is a demonstration of Benin’s enduring legacy and its boundless potential to inspire new forms of expression across time, geography, and imagination,” he said.
Beyond visual exposition of works of art by different artists, the fair also featured discussion sessions featuring the President Society of Nigerian Artists, Mr. Muhammed Sulaimon, Mr. Imasuen Amowie Izoduwa and Princess Nosakhare Igbinoba Eloghosa.
Among dignitaries that visited the fair was Senator Neda Imasuen, law-maker representing Edo South senatorial district, who acknowledged the rich heritage of the Benin.
Reacting to how to reposition Edo state creative economy, he said that when it comes to creative industry, or the art scene, Lagos don’t come before Edo. He however observed that there has been a neglect of some sort on the part of Edo people for not showcasing what they have.
“And if you are to look at those who are showcasing their artworks in Lagos, they are mostly Edo artists. And so, it is how do we bring them home to do hold exhibition here? That is where private funding comes in.
For some reasons, we don’t seem to be appreciating what we have. And until we begin to do so, the monopoly that we have over art will begin to elude us. I just believe that we must all, as art lovers, in our own little way, support art collections and exhibitions of this sort, so that we can give it publicity and let the whole world know,” he said on the sideline of the fair.
The fair was solely sponsored by The Osa Okunbo Foundation.
