TO create a new perspective for African arts in the international scene, Guaranty Trust Bank and Tate Gallery has taken its partnership on the development of arts further with the establishment of an Acquisition Fund by the bank to enable the Gallery enhance its holdings of work by African artistes.Apart from the Acquisition Fund, there will also be an annual project that is dedicated to celebrating African arts through exhibition and discussion in four cities across Africa and the United Kingdom.Unveiling this in Lagos last week, The Curator, International Art of Tate, Elvira Dyangani Ose, said Guaranty Trust Bank has supported Tate with a fund to purchase works of art. This, she said, is an opportunity to build up a new conceptual framework for collecting, displaying and interpreting African art within the international arena.'The acquisition fund will enable Tate family to enhance its holding to work by African artistes. This is crucial because we are trying to redefine international arts through the perspective of African artistes. We are going to acquire works of modern and contemporary African artistes. It is to build new contextual framework for understanding, collecting and interpreting African arts in the international arena. And there will be more modern and contemporary African arts in Tate collection. This is important because we cannot tell the story of arts without the contribution of African artistes. And without GTB, Tate will not be able to do that.'According to her, the legacy and current influence of art produced in areas outside Europe and North America has been a focus for Tate in recent years but with the partnership, there will be an examination of Africa's role in the heart of global artistic developments in a more inclusive narrative.On the annual project, Ose stated that it will help further develop the conceptual framework proposed in Tate's Africa strategy; looking at theoretical aspects and cultural, historical and contemporary and non-collectable materials.'This project will constitute an organic and experimental platform, featuring emerging artists and exploring recent practices that propose new types of participation and social engagement.'The project will invite local and international audiences to engage with artists, curators and scholars to look into current cultural and artistic production in Africa.'She also said that the effort by GTB and Tate will be putting the African artistes in the narratives of Africa history which in the past did not them into consideration. This she argued will be about inclusive history.'The annual project supported by GTB will engage local art scenes with great visibility and a strong social component. It will generate new dynamic and experimental types of programming at Tate. Tate media will support these initiatives recording talks, presentations, conversations and performances as well as producing a series of Tate shots.'By disseminating these via Tate website and other GTBank and Tate social media platforms, Tate and GTB will reach increasingly wider audiences for these events.'Speaking on behalf of GTB, Head, Corporate Communications and External Affairs of the bank, Mrs. Lola Odedina, said that the bank is not talking about the amount it invested into the project because it is not so much about the money invested, as it is more concerned about situating the partnership and creating a platform for African artistes.'Now there is a curator, there would be the acquisition, there will be display and discussions, which means that the international communities will be able to see, they do not have to come to Nigeria to look for African artistes, there will be a platform where they can actually see and engage with the African arts.'And it just means that we have taken the arts out of Africa, we have created a platform for them internationally; their time has come. You know in the past, if you are a good artiste in Nigeria, they only knew you in Lagos or Nigeria, now the whole world will know of the artistes in Africa and there will be expertise that will be shared in the various projects in different parts of Africa and we are happy to support this initiative,' Odedina said.
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