NIGERIAN CURATORSHIP AND THE EXHIBITION OF CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN ART WORKS

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Author

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Department of Environmental Design

ABSTRACT
The work of this thesis contributes to debates about cultural representation as it relates to the exhibition of contemporary African art works. The central themes of enquiry are the qualification and quality of Nigerian curatorship, and what contributions Nigerian curators are making in the redefinition of contemporary African art works, in light of the current debate into the misrepresentation of African art works by Western curators. The focus of investigation is the extent to which provision for curatorial scholarship is considered within course curriculum at institutes of higher education within Nigeria, and the strengths and weaknesses of contemporary Nigerian curatorial practice. The central questions taken for analysis are: Why are so few curators of Nigerian decent internationally recognized? Whose values and tastes influence the Nigerian curators selection criteria? What is the value of indigenous curators in the organization of international exhibitions of contemporary African art works? What can be done to encourage a new direction in the reception of contemporary African art works? The hypothesis of the study is that “an indigenous curator is best informed to curate exhibitions of contemporary art derived from his or her own culture, and therefore should dominate in the organization of such exhibitions”. This hypothesis is examined with reference to the educational and curatorial practice of Nigerian art lecturers working within Nigeria, and Nigerian curators working both within and without of Nigeria. The overall analysis is divided into three principal areas of investigation: “Education and Curation in Nigeria”, which addresses the question of what actually 7 qualifies someone as a curator of contemporary African art works in Nigeria. The section refers to the personal views of Nigerian curators, the development of tertiary course curriculum [and their content] in the visual arts and art history since their inception, and concludes with a discussion of the relevance of current course content to the area of curation and exhibition; “Experience and Curation in Nigeria”, then looks at the experience of Nigerian curators, and the demands of the national exhibition, with specific reference to the areas of location, identity, and aesthetic values. Changes in exhibitionary practice is also addressed with particular attention paid to the funding of projects, and the effect of both local and international patronage on the art exhibition in Nigeria; the third area, “Nigerian Curators in the West”, examines the curatorial practice of expatriate Nigerian curators, again with reference to the areas of location, identity, and aesthetic values. The views of both national and international curators are then given in reference to the role of African curators in the diaspora and the exhibition of contemporary African art. Findings indicated that although there exists a considerable exhibition culture in Nigeria today, that professionality in the field is lacking. Although those interviewed for the study were considerably active in the field, and exhibited a knowledge of contemporary Nigerian art, the education and experience of these artist-curators was inhibited by the limitations of current post graduate education in curation or related fields of study, such as cultural representation, and also inadequate facilities and funding for the actualization of professional exhibitions. Finally, recommendations centred on the provision of post-graduate courses in curation and related fields of study, most appropriately as a masters degree programme, and further emphasised the obligation of the Federal Government of Nigeria to encourage a greater professionality in exhibition through the provision of repositories of art suitable for both national and international exhibitions.