Lasmara’s Impart Artists Fair as A Game Changer

Lasmara’s Impart Artists Fair as A Game Changer

By Yinka Olatunbosun

This may be the best season yet for contemporary arts in Nigeria as an African Art Consultancy firm, Lasmara, with the support of the law firm, Templars and the Consulate of the United States in Lagos, announces its maiden edition of Impart Artists Fair which will take place from October 25 to 27 at the Eko Atlantic, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Featuring 300 African artists, the three-day event has as theme, “Art Meets Tech.’’ The trend of infusing digital technology into the creation of genuine art pieces has not gone unnoticed by the organisers of this fair. Hence, the fair will showcase virtual reality and augmented reality technologies.

At a recent press briefing in Ikoyi, Lagos, Hana Omilani, the Founder and Director of Lasmara revealed that the fair is set to change the dynamics for art patronage.

“We felt that we needed a platform to promote African artists that will put them in a shining light. We thought very well about what we can do that will help artists in Africa with their careers especially in their sales. It is more than just a fair. It is beyond it. We are going to launch Impart with the Artists Fair,’’ she began.

Of Eritrean ancestry, Hana is a widely travelled patron of the arts with the keen attention on the pulse of the art market in Africa. Having observed that Lagos is a city of hospitality, she conceived Lasmara as a global enterprise that will connect artists directly to the buyers.

“We are aiming at democratizing art to make it accessible to everyone. At Lasmara, we believe that technology is at the forefront of everything that we do now and we don’t want to be left behind in the creative sector. We know that many industries are ahead of this. We feel that artists are using the technology tools very much to their advantage and we just want to enhance it. We want to give our audience something fresh to look at. It is going to be a pan-African Artists Fair. We will have artists from different African countries, 10 of them from Sudan. We have 40 works from Sudan. In total, we have more than 450 works scheduled to be showcased by over 100 artists.

“The key message is come, see the artists, connect to them and buy from them directly. Let’s put our best foot forward using technology. Lasmara started in London but we have been in Lagos for the past four years working on exhibitions and art auctions. This is our first platform and we are planning to focus on Women in the Arts and Technology. We will have workshops as well,’’ she said.

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