8th April, 2017
Pius Remet, a renowned painter on Saturday, said lack of exhibition was gradually ruining the relevance of Nigerian artists.
Remet said in Lagos that exhibitions would not only document the works of artist but portray their skills to the rest of the world.
According to him, it is easier for artist to network and learn best practices in arts from their counterparts in other climes if their works are known and easily accessible.
“Africans have a lot to offer to the world because we are embedded in arts and culture, and that’s the edge we have over the rest of the world.
“Unfortunately, most of us are myopic and do not see the bigger picture of what or where arts can take us to.
“Our works are indeed mind blowing but they lie fallow with no means to shed light on such collections to the world,’’ he said.
Remet said that the Europeans and American collectors who had taken interest in African arts over time now had the biggest exhibitions of African arts worldwide.
“Artists in Africa, especially here in Nigeria, have goldmines in their hands as skills and they are less concerned if it is tapped by foreigners or not.
“They come to us, collect what we have and sell for millions of dollars because we are comfortable in making them middle men without finding ways to exhibit and get directly to clients,’’ he said.
The painter added that museums in Nigeria are hardly functional and this prevents most local artist from preserving their works.
“Museums are important for a number of reasons but most importantly, they serve as links between our ancestral heritage and contemporary transformations of indigenous art.
“This is another broad end to what exhibitions can help us achieve by sustaining our heritage as well as having a modern touch to the arts,’’ he said.
Remet is the father of three gifted kids including the world’s youngest photographer who exhibited his first photo collections at age of three years.