ARTSPLIT, the pioneering art trading platform for African art, has announced the launch of its first edition of the Modern and Contemporary Nigerian Art Auction (MOCONA) titled “Ode to Mastery”, featuring features five leading Nigerian artists, who are the main drivers of contemporary art. scene on the mainland. Artists include: Abiodun Olaku, Duke Asidere, Edosa Ogiguo, El-Dragg Okwoju and Oliver Enwonwu.
The two-week MOCONA, which began July 15, 2022, will be a split auction, followed by a rental auction of individual works by the five artists. The works will also be available for physical viewing at Hourglass Gallery, No. 979 Saka Jojo Street, Victoria Island, Lagos, for the duration of the auction which is scheduled to close on July 31, 2022 with a VIP closing event at 6 p.m. at the same place.
The ARTSPLIT app allows users to own fractions of prominent African artworks, also known as “Splits”, and keep or trade them on the app if they win the “Split Auction”. Splits allow many people to co-own a single iconic piece of art, which no other art platform allows. Users can also participate in an “auction” on the app to win physical custody of divided works of art for a specified period.
The MOCONA auction follows a successful inaugural auction held in May, where Ben Enwonwu’s 1977 artwork ‘Agbogho Mmuo’ from the Ogolo series was valued at $105,000, along with the debut of ARTSPLIT at the 59th Venice Biennale 2022, where the platform partnered with The African Art at the Venice Forum (AAVF) and the South African Pavilion.
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By showcasing MOCONA, ARTSPLIT intends to further raise the profile of the artists and introduce them to a new set of diverse art collectors and investors, which would ultimately enhance the status of their works and the platform. shape to benefit from the growth of the “art economy”. .
The platform (ARTSPLIT mobile app) allows art lovers to own fractions (also called Splits) of prestigious African artworks, which they can trade in real time. It offers owners of premium African art the opportunity to list their works and have them appraised and sold to members of the community, and offers advisory and management services to art collectors, which are tailored to suit comprehensive online art portfolio management requirements. offline platforms.
About the featured artists:
Famous for his highly polished and detailed depictions of Nigerian cities and landscapes, Abiodun Olaku is generally regarded as one of the country’s most accomplished oil painters. Olaku works largely in the traditional medium of oil; however, his work is not frozen in the past. The artist explores new horizons within established methods and techniques open to innovation.
El-Dragg Okwoju is an acclaimed oil painter known for his vibrant depictions of Nigerian culture. Women are the central subject of Okwoju practice, often caught in an abstract and fleeting moment of ordinary life such as dancing and celebrating life.
Duke Asidere expresses himself in thick, bold strokes through a variety of mediums including pencil work, oil, acrylic, pastels and transparencies. Raised in a female household, he became known for his curious portrayal of women in works that explore concepts such as politics, society, culture and psychology – his architectural series offers a fresh perspective of Africa and its series of license plates and spray has underlying political statements.
Edosa Ogiguo is one of the most famous Nigerian artists for his large canvases of equestrian and dancing scenes. His fascination with horses began after visiting his wife’s family in northern Nigeria. For Ogiugo, the technical challenges of mastering his subject inspire him more than anything else.
Oliver Enwonwu comes from a long line of notable artists, such as his grandfather, a renowned traditional sculptor, and his father, Ben Enwonwu, widely known and celebrated as Africa’s most famous pioneering modernist. Enwonwu interrogates the complex layers of history between Africa and the West in her work.
