GTBank empowers Nigerian artists through its ‘ARTmosphere’ initiative

Lagos, Nigeria – January, 2017

On Friday, the 27thof January, 2017, artists and art lovers converged at the Ndubuisi Kanu Park, Ikeja, Lagos, to create ‘on-the-spot’ works of art ranging from painting to photography. The event, tagged: ARTmosphere, brought together the present and the future of Arts in Nigeria, to inspire them with the life and works of one of the masters in the field, Yinka Shonibare (MBE).

ARTmosphere, powered by ART635—an online gallery of African arts sponsored by GTBank, kicked off activities that will culminate in the de-installation of Yinka Shonibare’s Wind Sculpture VI on the 31st of January, 2017. The Wind Sculpture VI, created by renowned British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare, has been on display at the Ndubuisi Kanu Park since the 25th of November, 2016 as part of GTBank’s partnership with the British Council to create more awareness about Arts & Culture in Nigeria. The exhibition is Shonibare’s first ever major art event in Nigeria.

At ARTmosphere, a panel of judges appraised and scored the art works produced by the different categories of contestants. The Beginners Category was made up of students from four Secondary Schools including: Greensprings School, Anthony and Lekki, Edgewood College, Lekki, StrongTower Academy Ikorodu, and Bridgehouse College, Ikoyi. The Intermediate Category is made up of students from the Yaba College of Technology, while the Professional Category comprised of members from recognized art communities.

After the verdict of the judges for the painting category, voting processes continued on Art635 and other social media platforms of GTBank for the photography category to give extensive airing to the works and potential of Nigeria’s present and future artists.

GTBank has consistently played a leading role in Africa’s banking industry. The GTBank brand is regarded by industry watchers as one of the best run financial institutions across its subsidiary countries and serves as a role model within the financial service industry due to its bias for world class corporate governance standards, excellent service quality and innovation. The Bank operates from over 230 branches in Nigeria and has banking subsidiaries in Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Cote D’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone and the United Kingdom.