THE visual frame memorable, than even the now familiar mode of spelling his name , his signature, all in the lower keys - dele jegede, the artist, cartoonist and scholar, was in his first visit to Lagos from the United States n seven years. An enthusiastic, even if sparse presence in 'the :ircuits' during the weeks of the visit, the bushy lair and sweeping beard now speckled with white grays could be picked easily either in the bookshop eafing through recent local publications or in [scores of art galleries dotting the landscape of Lagos island, mulling over works by some upcoming and promising artist who some seven years back might have been a mere junior high pupil. What jegede sees is a bubbly scene filled with ac- tivity and business. It is even to the credit of the scene that a few galleries opened but shortly closed down, giving place to galleries with more endur- ing vision, combining artistic with business vision. He could not catch up with all the often simulta- neous exhibitions and art shows but regrets how- ever that the system has not evolved a process for election and possibly elimination, where, he says, artists and their works could face critical evalua- tion, and collectors also find good guidance. By dele jegede lalcynn rlnys when U g OS was the only credible centre in Nigeria where a rarefied European breed - the cognoscenti and the litprnfl <^n«Un • . .. . I • hand, to talk in muted tones, strain their necks, remove their glosses and sniff at the new art produced by the dele jegede (middle) visiting the Nimbus Gallery in Ikoyi during prepara- tions for the Nimbus art auction. With jegede is Chike Nwagbogu, the Nimbus curator (back to camera) and the artist Abiodun Olaku few Nigerians who threw reason to the winds and decided to become contemporary artists in an era when every parent's wish was to produce a medical doctor, an engineer or, at worst a lawyer, the necessary structure upon which the new art was supposed to rest was virtually non-existent. Patronage was almost exclusively a non-Nigerian concern. There were, of course, some noble Nigerians who reposed confidence in the new art. But theirs was a tiny tribe. Galleries? There was none. Not in the sense that Ikoyi is now defining the concept. Please, do not let us reopen that wound, still fresh in contempo- rary discourse. I refer to the non-existence, or the ineffective- ness, of a critical clan: those who, by temperament, training or disposition, are well suited to moderate, energise or railroad Things are changing. I have .seen"6 in the few weeks that 1 n a Ve S p e nt after an absence of nearly seven years in Lagos, that Ikoyi seems poised to re-invent itself as Nigeria's new SoHo. This development seems to signal a welcome departure from the hit-or-miss approach of the past. Compared to what obtained a few decades back, Ikoyi becomes a metaphor, a yard- stick by which one could attempt a linear historicisation to devel- opment in this area. The new razzmatazz posture that Ikoyi gal- leries are beginning to evolve contrasts sharply with the sedate air that The Exhibition centre, that primal, precious space on the Marina, exuded in its glorious days. Galler LABAC; Tayo Aiyegbusi's Mbari Mbayo (the one that started at Jibowu on Ikorodu Road, then a single-lane, comparatively rustic road); Festus Idehen's, Felix Idubor at Kakawa; Emily Imoukhuede's Gong Gallery on Lake Street; Onobrakpeya's Ovuomaroro: these and some others are forerunners of today's plum and plush galleries. Didi Museum is in a different category. In the last decade, the evolutionary process has been tempered by market forces. Galleries have continued to emerge; some have gone under while others continue to flourish, in tandem with public perception, artists' reactions and economic undulations. Regrettably, there does not seem, as yet, to be any concerted attempt to cultivate taste, with a view to informing, reforming and moderating gallery practice. Art collection, it would ap- pear, is propelled more by individual fads and fancies, than by a corporate effort to stimulate appreciation. Some artists seem concerned about quantitative rather than qualitative output, and about the easy lucre that inevitably contaminates the contem- plative and creative air. Within this scenario, the emergence of a new idiom in the visual arts is compromised, as artists pander to the taste of 'patrons'. survive within the Nigerian environ- m e n T, m U St demonstrate that they possess the pa- nache, the survival instincts and an individual knack for reading the market. They must be willing to push the enveloped, to goad their clients, sensitise them to trends which are already well en- trenched in other developed economies, but with which we are yet to be conversant. In addition to serving, perhaps intuitively or at times, quite decidedly, as outposts for the support and promo- tion of profound and compelling, even if initially disturbing works, gallerists must introduce ideas that have the potentials for ben- efiting the market and the polity. By coming up with an art auc- tion that allows those who may have initially missed out on acquiring significant works by historically relevant contempo- rary Nigerian artists, Nimbus Gallery confirms its dynamism in this evolving area. It clearly shows an understanding of the import and connectedness of aesthetic literacy to economic ben- efits. Although many of the artists whose works are being of- fered for sale are alive, its equally important to note that there are works, many of which have not been previously exhibited, by artists who are no longer in our midst. Herein lies the signifi- cance of the toil. A Ben Enwonwu, a Rufus Ogundele, Chuka Amaefuna, an Okpu Eze or an Erabor Emokpae would, by the fact that death has for ever denied us the pleasure of seeing any new works from them, instantly increase in value. This is one of the reasons why collecting is not only a pleasurable idea, de- our encouragement and support. The idea is not only sustainable, it holds significant promise for influencing trends in the field.GR p Me illeries have continued to emerge; some have gone under while others continue to flourish, in tandem with public perception, artists' reactions and economic Galleries, if they must undulations. Regrettably, there does not seem, as yet, to be any concerted attempt to cultivate taste, with a view to informing, reforming and moderating gallery practice Chike Nwagbogu, the idea, d