November 2019

November marks the official start of the winter months; early sunsets, colder days and... Christmas decorations?

November - for whatever reason - is beginning to look a lot like Christmas and we do not understand why! Christmas is in December!! But anyway, here are our November events.

The Royal African Society holds its Annual Lecture hosted by renowned British- Nigerian Artist, Yinka Shonibare CBE. Shonibare, whose work explores the topic of colonialism, development and social change will be explored, along with his career over the last 40 years. Having set up two foundations (Guest Artist Space - G.A.S. and the Yinka Shonibare Foundation), it is very fitting to have Shonibare host a complex, dynamic and evolving topic.

 

Paris - the city of love. A hop, skip and a jump onto the Eurostar takes you to Paris for a wonderful Art exhibition. The first of its kind in France, Also Known As Africa (AKAA) is an art and design fair centred around African artists based across the world. Now in its 4th year, this year will have over 140 artists. If you are a lover of art and are looking for an adventure a little further afield, what better way to spend your first weekend of November than at AKAA!

 

Should you find yourself lucky enough to be stuck on the continent, more (specifically in Lagos), you may as well get involved in the GTBank fashion weekend. This celebratory fashion weekend supports SMEs and showcases the diversity of African creativity and innovation. The event is free (yay!) and brings together some of Africa's most sought-after designers.

Expect to see runway shows from Christie Brown (Ghana), Adama Paris (Senegal), Lanre DaSilva (Nigeria) to name a few. With over 10 masterclasses from Sir John Barnett, Kim Kimble and Roksanda Ilinčić and a bustling 'marketplace', what more could you ask for from a fashion weekend?

 

Art X Lagos, now in its 4th year(there have been a lot of 4's this month eh?), has been described by some as the 'Frieze of West Africa', garnering significant international interest.

2018 saw the first public reveal of Ben Enowonu's 'Tutu' at Art X Lagos.  Often decribed as the 'African Mona Lisa', the portrait depicts Nigerian princess Adetutu "Tutu" Ademiluyi posing in the portrait - something Yoruba royals rarely did - and was sold for £1.2 million earlier this year.

 Here's to an artsy November!