THE CASE FOR ART FAIRS.

By Nii B. Andrews.

The number of art fairs worldwide has increased from 55 in 2000 to over 260 in 2018. Of these, only 5% were held in Africa and the Middle East; 52% were held in Europe. 

In 2018, art fair sales reached a global total of USD 16.5 billion after a yearly increase of 6%. 

Art dealers reported that they spent just under USD 5 billion on attending and participating in these fairs in the same year; a 5% increase from 2017.

LET IT RAIN: Kwadwo Ani, acrylic on canvas, 50 x 40 cm, 2007. Private collection.

Art fairs are important economic drivers for the host cities. 

They attract large numbers of affluent, cultured and colorful visitors in the form of collectors, gallery owners, art lovers….and wannabes; provide a platform and exposure for emerging artists to gain recognition; enhances the visibility and investment traction for the host city.

Corporate support is also vital and essential for numerous reasons. And of course the support of national, regional and city authorities across the board is indispensable. 

The results are often mutually beneficial for the art industry and the business organizations – banks, investment houses, hotels, airlines, brands etc.

Art lovers including “the possé”(can you spot them?) at the 1-54, La Mamounia, 2018.

The reasons businesses invest in or sponsor art events can vary from leadership preferences to corporate social responsibility (CSR), branding or financial investment.

Corporate bodies could go further and invest in art, by building private or public collections.

Perhaps it is high time our corporate giants in Ghana started looking seriously at these projects – supporting art fairs, building collections.

UNCLE FRANK: photograph circa 1940. Courtesy Bhamiyee Family.

There are a cadre of professionals available to advise them and certainly, there is no shortage of high quality artwork that needs to be collected and showcased with class.

In other parts of Africa – Dakar, Cape Town, Joburg, Cairo, Lagos, Bamako,  Ouagadougou, Marrakech- these projects have been accomplished with great success. 

LIVING ROOM FLOOR – BHAMIYEE HOUSE, KROBO-ODUMASE, 2019. The concrete hand pigmented tiles are over 100 years old. Today such tiles are made only outside Europe on account of production costs.

So what are we waiting for? 

Is it once again, the same old excuses and obstacles from our pathetic, perennial purveyors of cant – the ones who with absolute nonchalance pull down colonial buildings?

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *