“We created a platform last year called NBA Meets Culture,” Gbemisola Abudu, NBA Africa VP and Country Head, NBA Nigeria, explains of the initiative. “The five pillars of the platform are arts, fashion, film, music and tech. Tech has become a fifth part of our culture because it enables all the other pillars. It just so happened that arts was the element we started out with last year, choosing to celebrate basketball through the lens of Nigeria’s rich heritage and arts culture first.”

It is almost symbolic that the evening event celebrating the 2023 instalment of the NBA Meets Art initiative took place in the Tiffany Amber Gardens. This lifestyle hub, housing the flagship store of one of Nigeria’s premier luxury fashion brands from the tail-end of the 20^th century, is a testament to how following a dream, no matter how crazy it may seem, can have unexpectedly wonderful and positive consequences.

This is not the NBA Nigeria’s theme this year in its collaboration with artist, Dennis Osadebe; however, it is the overarching message in its commitment to supporting the culture of the communities it exists in and extending its influence beyond the courts.

“First, people don’t realise that when you think about sports and arts, those are two languages that the youths resonate with. They’re the language of the youths. Arts is a way in which the youths express themselves, and, there is that natural synergy between arts and sports, it’s always been that way historically,” explains Ms. Abudu.

“Then, on top of that, one thing has become quite exciting in Nigeria. Through the invention of Art X and Art Week, art has been democratised. It has taken it away from the elite to the average Nigerian. That is why it was very important for us to do an installation there because we wanted to speak to the youth in a language that resonated with them. So, if you look at the installation that we created with Dennis where we talked about team building, working together, and building communities together, this is part of our messaging for the youth. So when you say why arts, that’s why arts. If you really peel back the layers, you can see where the natural fit comes in between sports and arts and specifically, basketball and arts.”

Dennis Osadebe concurs wholeheartedly.

“I would say that arts is in the fabric of everything … I got into basketball from playing video games. So from NBA2k to NBA streets, NBA figurines, NBA toys like a toy of Kobe Bryant, a toy of Iverson – that was my entry into the sports. And I would say, that’s arts. That is expression. That is almost giving the user the tool to express themselves. And you know, I found that very important in this collaboration because art also is very representative of culture, and a big part of culture is visual art.”

Based on the theme ‘Passing/Building/Victory’, the installation features five masked figures — Osadebe’s signature style — all holding a ball.

“This collaboration speaks to passing, it speaks to teamwork. And that is the ethos behind basketball – teamwork. You can’t win by yourself and I wanted to draw that into the work. That is why in the installation there are five different sculptures. So those five sculptures represent a basketball team about to make a point. And they’re arranged like that because that is an offensive position in order for you to attack and make a point. And the reason why it’s rotating and they’re spinning around is because they’re looking for who to pass the ball to.”

How did this collaboration come to be? For Dennis, it all started when “Gbemisola reached out to me saying look Dennis, this is our objective with NBA Nigeria and we would love to work with you on this next version of NBA Meets Art. And once that conversation started, I was excited because what is very important to me is to elaborate on being an artist and showing that there is not just one way to be an artist. You can be an artist that also celebrates community in a sexy way. So we started the conversation and what stood out to me is that basketball is a sport of 5 people that play as a team. So I said I wanted to build on that idea of teamwork because teamwork is important to sports and it is important to the community. As a community we can’t be great by ourselves; we can’t even go through the day by ourselves. We need people in every part of it. So it was just organic once we started the conversation to build on the collaboration.”

For Gbemisola, it was a bit more complex than that.

“When this conversation started about creating an installation at Art X, it really was about what type of artist’s body of work and signature speaks to who we are as a brand, and, who has a natural affinity for the brand. And I am not saying … a natural affinity for the NBA or for basketball is a requirement for us to work with an artist. But for the thought process for the first work we do, we wanted an artist that had a natural affinity for the game, understood the game, and understood the ethos of the NBA.”

“A name that was consistent in all the conversations I had, whether it was from research I did (I’m a lover of arts as well, so I’m familiar with several of the artists in the space), having conversations with Art X, having conversations with different patrons of art; a name that kept coming up consistently was Dennis Osadebe.”

“As we grow the footprint of the brand in Nigeria, there is a level of intentionality on how we showcase Nigeria to the world, how we showcase our excellence and the amazing things happening in our creative industry. So, when you look at all those different layers and you have all these criteria that we sort of spelt out, one person that checked a lot of those boxes was Dennis. And that’s why we decided to go with him for our first collaboration with an artist. And expressing to him what we were interested in creating, and him being able to come back and say, based on what you’ve said, based on my work, here’s what I would present. And the theme of ‘Passing/Building/Victory’ came together.”

Judging by the response NBA Nigeria has received from this first installation, Ms Abudu is more than confident that the initiative is not only here to stay, but would also unlock incredible and unimaginable opportunities for the Nigerian art community and just about everyone who is affiliated with the NBA here in the country.

“So this is the first time we have collaborated with an artist in Africa for our NBA Meets Art initiative; we’ve never done this before. And what we’ve seen so far … is an insane level of interest from galleries around the world. Everybody has been like this is amazing work. I’ve received calls from galleries from all around the world who’ve said, ‘Can you bring this work there?’ There is a hunger for it, seeing the reaction even at the fair, all the pictures of kids painting on it and really just having a great time, seeing a bunch of kids saying they want to take the figurines home with them. And a lot of people saying they want a piece of this at their home, can they buy the figurines? It just really drives home the point that wow, this really was successful, people love it, people care about it.”

As for what is next for Nigerian art and the larger community within the NBA, Gbemisola is very optimistic. “We’re going to find very interesting ways to implement programs and initiatives to deepen our involvement with the arts community in Nigeria in a sustainable manner. There are plans to figure out what that would look like after the success of this installation with Dennis.”

The post NBA Meets Art at Art X 2023 to Influence Beyond the Court first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post NBA Meets Art at Art X 2023 to Influence Beyond the Court appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

Reggie is like that. On the surface, he appears to be a simple person who has managed to successfully combine his passion for travelling with his love of painting. And he is this – a simple person, but one with so much depth that it would take many lifetimes to fully unravel.

Khumalo’s travels have led him to Nigeria, where, in partnership with J.Room Curated and BrownEyedBoy Art Pursuits, he is exhibiting his current body of work. Titled Mental Revolution, it is a collection of paintings that calls for us as Africans to liberate ourselves from our painful past and compels us to usher in an Africa that knows its worth.

Ahead of the exhibition which officially opened on the 13^th of April at the HourGlass Gallery in Victoria Island Lagos, we sat down to speak with Reggie Khumalo and uncover the man behind the art.

In conversation with Reggie Khumalo begins now…

(This article has been edited for clarity)

A.L.M: What inspired your travelling artist life? How did you end up combining both together?

RK: I think for me I’ve always wanted to travel, I’ve always wanted the sense of freedom because I am a motorbiker. So travelling on a motorbike across the continent was freedom; I was totally free, I had no responsibility. I had a tent, my home [and] I was prepared to be … for my home to be a tent.

So that is what truly I did. I had a tent at the back of the bike, and I said “I’m gonna just travel and I’m gonna be free.” And I didn’t expect what I received back: I didn’t expect what Africa gave back to me. I didn’t expect that love I received from Africa, and just how great of a people we are. I never expected that. I was blown away by the kindness that people gave, ehrr, showed to me, I was just blown away by the love. I cannot express it. We are just such a beautiful and unique people. They did it with humility and ehrr, you know, they were so humble about it.

It was like “What do you expect? You’re my brother, you’re my sister.” It was always like that, like “Are you African?” “Yes, I am.” “Oh you’re my brother, you don’t have to pay here, you don’t have to worry.” And it was… and then you realise all of a sudden, ‘I am not alone.’ That changes you. And then you realise that everyone around Africa is rooting for you, everyone is for you, then every place is safe for you. And then you lose that fear of going to unknown places.

So every time I went, it was like also picking pieces of myself with every person I met. Even like meeting you is like meeting myself, you know, in a sense. Because we are one people. And that is such a beautiful experience for me.

A.L.M: And did the idea of doing art… doing exhibitions in each city you visit start from there?

RK: Yeah, yeah. So I do shows in different countries and with some of the money, I then build schools. I help take kids to schools, girls to university in South Africa and in Ethiopia I help… you know, with different things that I can help with. Because also, one of my philosophies is helping…trying to highlight what we are to the world. And I cannot say, “oh, we’re helping people, we’re caring people, we’re sharing people” if I personally don’t do that myself.

So I wanted to be the example, to say Africa is going to be rebuilt by you, it’s going to be done by you, me, I am going to be the change I mean to see.

A.L.M: I had read somewhere that you had run a gallery and done scriptwriting. What inspired your move into art? 

RK: Oh, this is an old interview I guess.

Yea so … I was running a gallery, and then I was doing a whole lot of other stuff. But all that was not just me, you know, it was not just… I just never felt at home. It was not just peaceful you know. And I went through a quarter-life crisis whereby what I am trying to do is not working, whatever is going on is not working. And I had to… that’s when I did the trip.

So the trip was called The Ride and the Artist Within. (Oh, that was the one from Capetown to Cairo) Yea. (Oh, ok, so that was when you decided you were going to go into art full time?) Yea (Really?! I thought you had started doing art before that time.) No, no. So the trip was to find myself, to find the artist within myself. So I went around and I was meeting different artists, I was meeting different people and then… but I know I could always paint, I always could paint. But I just never … it was something that I was shaming, I always felt like artists were quite not taken serious.. they were looked down upon. But then I did this trip and I was like there is nothing else I want to be but an artist, you know?

And so, I just went into it. That trip, my life, totally (And you had no formal training prior?) No, no formal training. (So how did you do it?) Well, I just ehrr, I see people doing it and I do it. But then I .. from that then I start. I think that main thing was for me, to express whatever is inside. Was it right, was it wrong, it didn’t matter. So I just said I’m gonna express whatever is coming from me. And that is what I did; that’s what I’ve been doing. So somehow it has ended up being here in Lagos, it has ended up being in Europe in the States, in being wherever. So now, I’m here, and that has been the journey. It’s just allowing myself to express and believing in that expression that it’s meant for someone’s ears, it’s meant for someone’s eyes, it’s meant for something.

A.L.M: If you were not doing art, if you were not painting, what would you have been doing? What other career path would have appealed to you?

RK: If I was painting, I would have died. (Literally,) I would have died. I just don’t see how else you can be something else you’re not meant to be. Either I’ll be on a motorbike, I’ll be travelling on motorbikes across continents and yeah, cos I’m a biker and that is what I love doing also. So I would just have been travelling on motorbikes across the world.

A.L.M: It was your trip to Sudan that made you introduce this (the Black faces). Because I looked at your earlier paintings, and it was just basically blue on white. So, do you see your art evolving as a result of your travel in future?

RK: Absolutely. I think everything that has happened has been because of the travels. I travel to tell a story of what I experience when I travel. And then… so my travels and my art is (sic) one thing. I travel to pick up pieces of myself and tell my story of those pieces in a sense, right?

But getting to Sudan was just something amazing for me. You know, the places where people have experienced the most are the most kindest [sic] people. I cannot tell you how kind Sudanese are, how much love I received in Sudan. I cannot tell you how much. I have never experienced that kind of kindness (since), until now which is in Lagos, which has been such an amazing experience. You remind me so much of Sudanese, but also, you remind me so much of Africa, like everywhere in Africa we’ve got this kindness. But, that one was something else! And also here too. So the work was… the beauty of Blackness was just so undiluted. 

So the inspiration is Sudan, the time I was in Sudan. It was so beautiful to see a Black skin, like the skin was just so beautiful and purely Black. Undiluted innocence. Like there was no one trying to be anything other than Black. And I thought “this is such a thing to be proud of, for us to talk about, like Blackness.” And so Blackness must be in someone’s face. I want that Blackness to be in someone’s face, like ok, this is Black, this is a Black person. And it is unapologetic. It’s just pure and it’s beautiful, and no one is doubting it. It’s just … you know (sucks in breath) confident and that’s what I wanted to go with.

A.L.M: I know you’ve been successful with everything you’ve done. But, I know you deal with doubts sometimes. When these self-doubts come, how do you deal with them?

RK: I think, first of all, I think where they come from is the moment I stop looking at where I need to go and I start looking all around me. I start to look at what other artists are doing, what all other people are doing, then all of a sudden, then mine is no longer good enough, or where I am is no longer good enough.

But how do I beat that is that I just refocus myself on where I need to be because then I look at where I’ve been. I look back and I’m like, how did I get there? Oh, I did a show in Berlin, I did a show in Paris. I did that [and] some of them were sold out, I did shows in Ethiopia that … and I am like actually, it is a good track record. And I think I’ve been blessed in that sense. And I stop looking elsewhere and I’m like whatever is coming again, it going to be beautiful. So I trust my journey, I trust my path, I trust where I’m going and I trust… yeah, I’ve got no doubts anymore[sic]. I have no doubts anymore [sic]. I mean, they do, it does creep in, but I always have to remind myself where I’ve come from, how far I’ve come.

A.L.M: Do you have a clear process (for your travels) or you allow your work or your guts to guide you? What is it like?

RK: I think the process is, I’m led by whatever it is, I think be it the spirit you’ll say or be it ehmm… and I allow it to just flow.

For instance, certain things like, sometimes what someone will find as negative, to me, like let’s say I need to go to London for a show or something, and all of a sudden the visas or whatever is a problem, I don’t fret anymore. I am not like, oh, I lost out because then I know that probably I was not meant to be there or it was not time yet but there’s something that is greater coming. And it usually is greater. So I’m trusting the process: I really trust the process fully.

I tell you, I was always in the bush with the motorbike for like, two good years literally travelling around in the bush. And I never slept hungry, I never.. and so on. And so, that taught me that I am well looked after, and my path in that sense is also unique and I trust … it’s almost God-given. So, I’ve got no doubt in that, in my path. I try to listen, I’m very sensitive to what is the next step, I’m very sensitive to the journey and where the work wants to go. Ehrmm, and sometimes, I just have to shut down and listen, and just listen. You know, I always say this, I always say to everyone: this is how people, we were, in terms of… the wind speaks, the ocean speaks, the land speaks but are we listening? You know, and these are some of the things I try to get in touch with, to get back to what… that sense that we once had as Africans to the land and to what is around us.

So, and I think that our souls also speak, but we shut down a lot of things. So then it will tell us, ‘this is where you’re going’ or ‘this is what you need to really be, this is where you need to be and this is what you need to…’ you know? And then, it will seem that whatever you do is not wrong, because you’re where you need to be.

And the art speaks too, you know, the art speaks. I have conversations with these paintings. Ehrm, I mean, as I’m painting I have conversations with them. That’s why you see the writing on them. So that’s the writing that I … it’s a conversation between myself and the work and the work and myself in a sense.

A.L.M: What has been your greatest challenge so far on your travels and in your art?

RK: Ehrrm, I think it’s trusting the process, that has been the hardest (not even when you were ill and you had to go back to South Africa?) I mean, that was painful but, I think it was for a reason.

The problem is that I’ve elevated myself to a point where my negativity is my positivity. Does it make sense? Like to a point where, ehrmm, like negativity… has got a part to play in my journey. So maybe if you’ve asked me this question then, I would have said ‘Ah, I felt bad then. But now, I look at everything as I’m on a journey, this is happening. There’s this thing that does not seem to work out now, but it is working out somehow, some way. You know.

(Ok, so every challenge is just like an opportunity waiting…) I think every challenge is an opportunity. I think every, ehrr, you know, sometimes, even good things are bad, you know what I’m saying. So sometimes, what seems to be good for you is actually a poison. So, I don’t think there’s a bad and a good; I just think there’s now.

A.L.M: Is there something you’ll like to see more on the African art scene?

RK: I think what I want to see is more bravery, I think more bravery. I just want to see more guts. I just want to see more of us – not afraid to lose whatever little we have. I just want to see people being a bit more audacious, we must just go for it. Like, playing safe is not safe, you know? Like, I see we’re almost kind of doing the same things. Sometimes also, other artists start to buy into other people’s work and so on, and then you’re like ‘man, just do your thing, right?’

So, one thing that we need to do is also be adventurous. So, adventurous within yourself. Explore yourself, explore what you need to…. explore yourself, explore your soul, explore what’s around you, then, that tells… then you can be able to paint. Or you would be able to tell an art story from your soul

(But what about how we consume art? Because sometimes, it feels like we as Africans do not consume our art) I think, what needs to change is… like, this is why we are here, it’s called the Mental Revolution, innit? I think we need to change how we look at ourselves. That is all. The moment I feel confident in myself, the moment I feel confident in being Black, and that Black is also good, and Black is wealthy, Black is rich, Black is the top …of the pyramid scheme,… and then, you don’t even have to go out there [out of Africa] to buy a work.

I’ll tell you something: one way or another, I’ll have my say in this world, and then… be it through the work, be it through whatever. And then, the world will hear what we have to say. And I am not talking as Reggie, I am talking as African [sic]. I think that’s the thing for me: that as Africans we’re going to… we’ve got to a point where we’re telling our story unapologetically. And we need to believe in it.

A.L.M: What’s your view on NFTs? DO you ever think you’ll offer any of your work as an NFT?

RK: I think I will at one point… yes. Listen, I am a very strong believer in Ubuntu in terms of I am because you are, whatever the African philosophy. I am a strong believer in Africaness but also, I am not a fool not to realise where we are. We’re living in a capitalistic world. I think what we need to do is, sometimes, we need to wear our capitalistic hats, and then when we wear those hats, we deal as capitalists. But at home, we are Africans.

So, with the rest of the world, we need to deal as capitalists, but within ourselves, we still keep our strong sharing and kind heart and everything else. Because people cannot understand that outside of Africa.

So I’m going to get into NFTs one way or another at some point, maybe not now but I will get into it.

A.L.M: You lost one of your artworks recently. Have you been able to find it?

RK: They hijacked the truck (were you able to get it back?) No, I never got the painting back. It was being shipped to Atlanta in the States, and at the time in America, they had been robbing, ehrr, they had been hijacking courier cars… One of my paintings was in one of those trucks and they took everything, they took even my painting. So I never recovered that painting.

A.L.M: So, apart from your motorbike, and your tent, what are 3 things you cannot do without on your travels?

RK: Hmnn, well I think, toothbrush? I guess that’s important for all of us anyway. If we’re going to be talking here, I talk a lot, you know? So I need to be quite fresh – I hope I’m still fresh, but anyway (chuckles), toothbrush I get and ehrrm… So I have a lot of problems with my stomach, so of course, I need my meds, I guess, for my stomach. And then I…. I don’t know I never really… I never really thought about this. I guess… I guess a phone?

A.L.M: What are your top 3 African destinations?

RK: I think Egypt should be number 1 for every African, in terms of it should be the Mecca for us. Like we should do … pilgrimage. I think all Africans must go on a pilgrimage to Egypt. I think that is something we need to do. Because that tells a story of our past in a sense. And of course, it is not done by the Egyptians that you see now, I mean we all know that. And I think that’s a past… that’s a thing that when you come back from, you’ll be like ‘oh, actually, what happened? How did we lose it?’

Also Sudan, I think Sudan (South or) I mean general Sudan. Because ehmm … North Sudan I think, where the pyramids are. There is no doubt it was by Nubian farers, and then you realise that there are certain things that we knew.

And then, ehrr, I haven’t been to the West, so I’m looking forward… I want to leave the last spot to West Africa. That, I’m still yet to discover.

A.L.M: What are 3 things people don’t really know about you?

RK: Ehrrrmmm… there’s one thing that people don’t know… but I don’t know, ehmmmm…. I don’t know, ehmmmmm……I don’t know! I mean, if I don’t know, then….

The Mental Revolution by Reggie Khumalo is currently exhibiting at the HourGlass Gallery at Victoria Island, Lagos, and will end on the 20th of April 2022.

‘In Conversation with’ by ASPIRE Luxury Magazine celebrates stars, influencers, celebrities and public figures, shining a spotlight on their lives and the incredible stories they have to share.

The post In Conversation with South African Artist and World Traveler, Reggie Khumalo. first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post In Conversation with South African Artist and World Traveler, Reggie Khumalo. appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

We had just exited the worst of a global pandemic and, for Africans living on the continent, an additional uncertainty heightened by protests and economic instability. We daresay almost everyone approached the new year with some level of positivity, as to do otherwise would have been near-fatal.

It is against this that we decided to launch a special feature, the ASPIRE Ones to Watch. We had hoped that by highlighting the fantastic achievements of the young men and women on whose shoulders lie the future of Africa, we all can look forward with some assurance that indeed, tomorrow is brighter than today.

And it appears you shared our sentiments going by the feedback we received. For 2022, we have once again put together a list of young people whose work, businesses and achievements are an inspiration to everyone.

Shamim Kaliisa

To kick off this feature, allow us introduce you to the 26-year-old powerhouse whose innovative approach to the management and eradication of cancer has seen her save thousands of lives. This she has done on a continent where the disease can often be a death sentence, due to a lack of awareness, inefficient government health policies, equipment, specialists and more importantly, a lack of health insurance adoption needed to see treatments to the end.

In her second year in medical school and barely in her 20s, Shamim developed pains in her breast. A medical check revealed she had cancer and tuberculosis, a result made more terrifying by the fact that she had lost her mother to cervical cancer about 7 years prior to her diagnosis.

Thankfully, Shamim survived, although she lost a breast to the painful disease. Following this experience, she founded Community Dental and Reproductive Health Ltd which later evolved into Community Healthcare Innovation Lab or CHIL AI.

In the beginning, CHIL AI offered mobile cancer screening to women in rural Uganda as well as mobile dental services to school children in Uganda. Today, through its mobile app, Keti AI, the technology-driven medical company offers related services like consultation, test results interpretation, referrals, radiology reports, and, automated drug ordering to more than 700,000 women from over 10 countries including South Sudan and the DRC.

Shamim is looking to expand her reach within the continent and beyond – she hopes to offer her services in  Asia and Latin America. With everything she has achieved so far at such a young age and in such a short time, it is safe to say that we have not heard the last of Ms Shamim Nabuuma Kaliisa or CHIL AI.

Laetitia Ky

When it comes to art, there is usually no general definition of what is good or bad, since art appreciation can be rather subjective. However, if you have ever encountered the work of Ivorian artist, Laetitia Ky, it is hard not to immediately appreciate what you see. Laetitia’s art is unique.

Rather than working exclusively on typical surfaces like cardboard, wood or canvas, she often uses her hair to create elaborate sculptural pieces. And not just any kind: more often than not, her creations tell a story about the kind of women Laetitia sees and knows – their struggles, dreams, fears and the challenges society burdens them with.

Laetitia’s work stands out for several reasons. First, she isn’t just beautifying hair or making aesthetically-pleasing styles. Every hairdo is a creative and visual representation of the socio-economic challenges women (mostly African women) undergo.

Secondly, she works with afro-textured hair that has received a lot of bad press over the years. Using it the way she does not only proves the versatility of our hair, it also showcases its literal and metaphorical beauty.

As an artist, Laetitia is constantly growing. Only recently, she added the title ‘author’ to her name. Her body of work is so niche, yet rich and robust that we believe it is only a matter of time before she becomes a truly global force to be reckoned with.

Aristide Loua

At a time when the world is beginning to notice African fashion, Aristide Loua’s Kente Gentlemen is yet another example of how rich and multifaceted this aspect of our culture really is.

For Loua, Kente Gentlemen is not just another fashion brand: it is a sartorial ode to traditional African fashion that he feels compelled to tell after his travels all over the world.

“In such an interconnected world, Kente Gentlemen is a means to discover, value, celebrate, and foster our diverse socio-cultural heritage and identities through fashion, aesthetics, photography and other visual arts,” he says of his brand.

Aristide aims to keep traditional practices alive while celebrating his love for art, social good and fashion. Working with local handweavers, tailors and other artisans, he creates mostly modern suits and shirts for men and women based on intricate stories and concepts that reveal some of our innermost emotions.

The fashion label was part of the Birimian x IFM accelerator program and has been featured in different publications and on different global platforms. African fashion is beginning to take its rightful place on the global stage, and Aristide Loua’s Kente Gentlemen is sure to be one of the key players driving worldwide adoption.

Heba El Dessouky

Sustainability is more than a buzzword, and Heba El Dessouky understands this all too well.

Shortly before the 2020 lockdown, when the fashion industry was beginning to contend with its high levels of waste and its contribution to the climate change crisis, the  Egyptian actress and model, Hébà El Dessouky launched AGAN. (As Good As New)

AGAN is a response to a global challenge with a straightforward idea: get people who have unspoiled luxury items they no longer use or have never used to advertise on a trusted platform where there are eager, interested, paying customers.

Sustainable practices are not as strange to Africans as most people think, even though the concept in itself is relatively new. However, it is almost unheard of to find someone like Heba actively running a business for pre-loved luxury fashion items. She has definitely set a standard for other celebrities to follow, and, whether or not they do, her name is sure to make the list of personalities on the continent that made a substantial impact in sustainability at a time when it mattered the most.

Setsabile Mkhabela

There are many e-commerce brands dedicated to fashion retail in Africa, but not many offer the same services as Setsabile Mkhabela.

Like Heba, Setsabile launched her business in 2020, but unlike AGAN, Boast-ID focuses on emerging fashion and lifestyle brands, not just from Africa, but from all over the world that put sustainability at the heart of their operations.

Boast-ID currently features over 20 brands from Africa, Asia and North America. But for Setsabile, there is still a lot more to be done for emerging fashion and lifestyle brands. Her goal is to create a thriving community of retail fashion businesses in the luxury space that live and breathe sustainability. If her track record is anything to go by, we will be hearing much more from the E-Swatini entrepreneur very soon.

Noxolo Fani

Do you remember what you said you would be when you grow up?

Chances are that your current reality does not match any part of your childhood fantasy. This is not necessarily because, as a child, you had no idea what you wanted, but because you may have gotten confused along the line and had to switch to a career path that felt safe and looked like something you could live with for the rest of your life.

This is exactly why Platform Excel, founded by South African Noxolo Fani, exists.

Using gamification and robotic process automation, Noxolo guides students from grades 8-12 on their career paths. “I lived through not having the right advice at the right time as a young woman. As I grew in my own profession I embarked on a journey to help those living through the same experience,” she explains of her decision to found Platform Excel.

Noxolo Fani continues to seek out opportunities to assist young people discover who they are meant to be, whilst opening doors for them by helping them secure scholarships, internships and positions in different companies.

Sisqo Ndombe

Like Setsabile, Sisqo Ndombe has developed a thriving online platform for creatives, only this time, the e-commerce site is for artists and art lovers looking to invest in works from the African continent.

As an artist living in the DRC, Sisqo Ndombe quickly realised how difficult it was for upcoming African artists to sell their work. He decided to do something about it, and after saving money from a side hustle, Bandombe Galerie was born in 2018.

His first sale happened 8 months after the online art gallery went live but today, it boasts 800 registered artists from 30 African countries and more than 3,000 artworks in its catalogue.

Like other entrepreneurs, Ndombe dreams of more growth, even though he knows that this means more work. He is committed to growing his client base while pushing for the adoption, appreciation and acquisition of African art by Africans and not just the global community. With all he has achieved in the last four years, we dare say he is on the right path to achieving his dream.

The post ASPIRE Ones to Watch, 2022 first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

The post ASPIRE Ones to Watch, 2022 appeared first on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

On display will be 33 of Udé’s 64 portraits of Nollywood film stars, directors and producers which he created between 2014 and 2016 using pigment on satin rag paper as his medium. They are all reminiscent of what is considered ‘classical’ portraiture, and while the subjects are glamorous and elegant, the portraits themselves represent an artistic balance of composition, form, and colour.

Says Osahon Akpata, Project Director of Nollywood Portraits: “The radical beauty of these portraits is intended to make a bold statement about the portrayal of our people at the highest art and cultural institutions in the world.”

Akpata has also disclosed that in addition to the exhibition, there will be a global virtual launch event on February 11, 2022. It will feature an interactive session with the artist, Iké Udé, and four Nollywood stars discussing their portrait experience, as well as an exclusive preview of Udé’s documentary short, Nollywood in Focus, and a sneak peek of the exhibition.

“Black History Month is an opportunity to reflect on the contributions of African people across the globe to art, to history, to culture and to our common humanity,” explains Ngaire Blankenberg, Director of the National Museum of African Art, on the significance of the exhibition.

“Whether he turns his camera on himself, flowers or the talented stars of Nollywood, Iké Udé presents a world of beauty, and most powerfully, a world that centres on African beauty.”

What should visitors expect at the exhibition?

There will be so much more going on besides the portraits. Visitors will be able to explore fashion, film clips and interviews with Nollywood celebrities like Alexx Ekubo and Taiwo Ajai-Lycett. Some of the garments styled by the stars will also be on display and a bespoke set with which they can employ to create their own identities with the help of on-site stylists will be available.

Those coming in on the weekend are encouraged to bring their best selves (and outfits) to the museum to be enhanced by an on-site stylist before taking a photograph in an Udé-style set. They can also explore portrait art using interactive tools in which they can combine set, stage and costume to envision lustrous compositions of their own.

Iké Udé: Nollywood Portraits will be a display of African fashion, art, culture and beauty, and visitors can expect to be transported to a world magical, interesting world where everything is possible.

Source: The Eagle Online

The post Iké Udé: Nollywood Portraits puts African Beauty and Fashion on Display at the Smithsonian first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

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Art X Lagos: A Brief History

When Tokini Peterside started collecting art back in 2008, she came face-to-face with a harsh reality: African artists could not sufficiently compete with their contemporaries from all over the world, not because they were not as talented, but because there was no platform to elevate their work and connect them to the global art scene.

A world of opportunities opened up before her eyes, and Perterside began to ask a series of hard questions.

“How can we, first of all, strengthen the art scene in Lagos, by bringing in Africa’s art scenes here […]? How [can] we bring in the international community and enable people to better understand and connect with what our artists and galleries were doing for so long? How [can] we get everyday men and women inspired by art, excited about art, wanting to engage with artists? How [can] we ensure that corporate Nigerians would support the arts? How [can] we carve out a moment for Lagos from the global arts calendar?”

These questions led to the birth of Art X Lagos, and in 2016, it launched its first-ever show.

Art X Lagos: Chapter 6

This year’s event is the sixth edition of the art show that started regionally but has gone global, and while there is definitely a large room for growth, it is obvious to everyone that Art X Lagos is on the right path.

For starters, this year’s show is its largest ever, in spite of the fact that the global health challenge forced the organisers to restrict participating galleries to just fifteen at its physical fair: a total number of thirty galleries made an appearance at the event, with the rest showcasing online.

While art from veteran artists like Ghanaian Amoako Boafo dominated the show, quite a number of rising stars also had their work on display and were able to sell them for a rather tidy sum. Prices were in the range of $10,000 and $30,000 and one of the most expensive works sold was a large painting of Friends like Twins (2021) by sought after Ghanaian painter Kwesi Botchway for $60,000. Gallery 1957, which nearly sold out its booth, also presented new works on canvas by Adjei Tawiah, David Doku-Borlabi, Oliver Okolo, Patrick Eugène and Juwon Aderemi in the range of $10,000–$25,000.

Interestingly, major buyers are from the continent, with most being predominantly Nigerian clients. According to Daudi Karungi, owner and founder of Afriart Gallery, “Lagos is the only fair in the world that has an opening with 90 per cent Black people in the audience… Nobody comes to Lagos for discount works. Galleries don’t say ‘we are coming to Africa to sell it cheaper’ here. We sell for the same prices here that we sell at Basel.”

Organisers have also made efforts to introduce a younger generation to the world of African art. School children were invited to participate, while younger art enthusiasts were encouraged to start collecting. “I’ve run into many of my friends at the fair… They are in their thirties and recognize now that art is a way to invest, park and grow your money, and participate in your culture in a way that a lot of people my age haven’t previously done,” says Nigerian-American Reni Somoye.

Tokini Peterside is definitely optimistic: “In 10 years from now, I see us opening up a larger number of collectors… I see us quadrupling the size of the fair. I see us taking our artists into other parts of the world, presenting their work and showing the power of storytelling across Africa. I see us launching new platforms at different stages of their careers.”

Art X Lagos 2021 was live at The Federal Palace Hotel from the 4^th to the 7^th of November. The exhibition continues online till the 21^st of November at artxlagos.com.

The post Art X Lagos 2021 is Further Proof that African Art is Valuable, Collectible and Thriving first appeared on Aspire Luxury Magazine.

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