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GFA opens gallery, holds weekend trainings

By Florence Utor
24 November 2019   |   3:01 am
Guild of Professional Fine Artists of Nigeria (GFAN) formerly opened its own art gallery on Sunday and the facility is expected to feature professional art related activities like exhibitions,

Some of the Guild members. Osagie Aimufia(l), Ebohon, Norbet Okpu, Ejiogu, Gerry Nnubia and Emenike Ogwo

Guild of Professional Fine Artists of Nigeria (GFAN) formerly opened its own art gallery on Sunday and the facility is expected to feature professional art-related activities like exhibitions, classes for children and events for arts and culture.A total of 40 works cutting across different genres were exhibited by the guild members in the serene conducive space at Hakeem Dickson link road, Lekki Phase 1 at the opening show.

The gallery itself will conduct business on a daily basis and hold monthly art classes and workshops for both children and adults to help children with artistic talent particularly evolve, so that the arts will be kept alive.

According to the guild’s president, Sam Ebohon, “we want to give children an opportunity to be introduced to arts early, graduates students of arts looking for opportunity to practice professionally can also come to GFA.”Ebohon continued, “art has evolved in Nigeria even people abroad are coming here to find out what and how it is happening seeing the works that are churned out by our artists.

“We also set up this place to show the professionals in arts that gone are those days when art was considered a profession you could not live by, that is not the case now.

“We want artists to know that arts is not just about drawing but a business that they can live well by, that is why if any artists has works that are professional and up to the standard, they can exhibit at GFA.“We hope the government will not be far from it, such that it creates an enabling environment for it to thrive, thereby creating more jobs.”

Ebohon also appealed to the current crop of artists to dedicate time to nurture the newer generation of artists just like the older generation did.

According to him, “we have doctors, engineers that have left their professions to practice arts, that is to tell you that arts is not business as unusual and GFA is taking this whole new mentality to another level because there is no group of artists that have come together to open a gallery. “

Encouraging artists, Ebohon said, “everything in life is art so artists should not be lazy about their profession, they should be proud and make up their minds to practice in whatever genre and they can live well by it.”

The Director, Ugonna Ibe Ejiogu, emphasised that the GFA Gallery aims to be home to the works of the guild members. According Ejiogu, “the gallery is open to the public. It is also a dedicated space for exhibitions, talks, workshops and events by members and non-members of the guild.”Ejiogu concluded, “indeed, as art continues to capture the minds’ eyes of aficionados, slaying the spaces of homes and offices, the guild is bent on carving and painting art as a profession before the world.”

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