Gabriel Jideonwor’s Vivid Gallery opens in Lekki

After Vivid Exclusive Art Gallery made its entry into Lagos art scene two years ago, the opening of another facility in Lekki Gardens, Phase II, has broadened art appreciation in the country.

Led by young artist and gallerist, Gabriel Jideonwor, Vivid Art Gallery, in 2017, was launched at Abijo, Ibeju Lekki, along Lagos-Epe Road.

When the gallery came into existence, Jideonwor stated that the need to expand art appreciation beyond the regular space “by testing other areas” informed the choice of the first outlet.

Two years after, the dream keeps growing, as the new outlet is a larger space compared to the previous one.

“The most important thing for me is to create a serious platform for high quality art from local African artists, which has a strong local client base, but which we can also promote beyond borders,” Jideonwor stated. “The gallery will be a regular spot for art loving locals as well as tourists.”

He described the new outlet as a place “where you can find unexpected authentic art, design or handicraft works or a spot to experiment yourself in creative workshops; regularly visit high quality expositions or place orders for unique art works in various styles with high quality artists.”

He argued, “whether art, design or handicraft, the key words are quality and originality.”

The gallery, he explained, is loaded with “a carefree cacophony of very different types and styles of works, from abstract to realism, landscapes to portraits, impressionism, pop or street art, colourful to black and white, large small, sculptures, painting, drawings, collages, photography, furniture or accessories, there are no limits.”

Jidenwor assured that the gallery would give art lovers “quite sometime to find their favourite piece to take home in almost any price category.”

The Lagos State Polytechnic-trained fine artist articulated the gallery’s mission statement thus: “This new location is a dream come true, with the quality of the location and size of the space. Having various different spaces allows us to start with serious small group and/or solo exhibitions of our top artists, next to the continuous exhibition of our permanent collection. This is important to further increase the quality of the gallery: To keep our good artists and grow their profile, but also to attract new high quality artists. At the same time, we can still continue to be a breeding ground for new talents. We currently represent several artists including myself, but we could do more now.”

As a young entrepreneur in the business of art, Jideonwor seemed to have several other ideas such as, fostering investments and stabilising the income of the gallery. Among the strategies, he stated, is venturing into other art related activities in the same space.

“There are plans to use some space for organising creative workshops and art education for various groups, from children or interested amateurs, to coaching of young starting professional artists. This will not only generate additional income for the artists and the gallery, but will also support and stimulate the local cultural climate.”

As a multipurpose resource centre for creativity, the Vivid Gallery space, according to Jideonwor, may also “create a separate space for smaller design and handicraft works, so that the gallery may attract a broader public of potential art lovers and tourists.”

As an artist and gallerist, how does he hope to strengthen his artistic career with the challenges of managing Vivid Gallery?

“For me as an artist, the gallery is an ideal job to combine: I enjoy working with art and artists and also, create a platform for my own work. Like in our previous location, I have some studio space in the gallery. I am used to paint almost every day, it’s like breathing to me. I will just continue to experiment and grow and promote my work, also internationally. ”