Children artists on the rise

For the first time, the Nigerian visual art landscape is offering a variety that has not been experienced in the creative sector before.

With the debut of The Children Art Gallery (TCAG), a first-of-its-kind art gallery in Victoria Island, Lagos, the sector has increased its offerings.

The gallery, which is co-founded by Phoebe Giffey-Brohaugh, an artist and Segun Oni, a serial entrepreneur and philanthropist, who is passionate about children and their development, is the first in Africa to exhibit and sell children’s artwork.

According to Phoebe, “We are a social enterprise bettering young artists’ healthcare, education, and access to creative development through the sale of their art pieces”.

However, the gallery is gaining ground since opening with lots of engagements for its growing artists, and public awareness of art as a healing tool, among others. One of such engagement is an ongoing exhibition at the Victoria Island, Lagos-based gallery.

Titled ‘Spark/Art in Humanity: Uniting Through Creativity…an exhibition of works igniting connection over identity and human experience’, the exhibition is one of the activities to commemorate the National Arts in Health Week in Nigeria (NAHWNG), which is in its 2nd edition this year.

The exhibition runs from May 8 to 14, 2023, featuring over 20 works by children artists between ages 7-16.

Some of the children artists include Adejoke E 7 years old; Divine, 16 years old; Benjamin A, 17 years old; Olujimi O, 7 years old; Faruq H 15 years old; Monday 16 years; Michael G 16 years; Adebayo M 15 years old; Zizah O, 14 years, among others, who are all TCAG member artists.

One of the outstanding pieces by Zizah at the exhibition is titled ‘Unknown’, acrylic paint on canvas. Limited in speech, Zizah has found expression through art and music and has a distinctive ability to recall images from memory with high precision and replicate them on paper or canvas.

On the other hand, Benjamin A who hails from Ibadan, Oyo State is exhibiting four works at the exhibition.

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The TCAG member artist, who is being trained in oil paint medium by Emmanuel Y – a TCAG member art teacher, said that “Art provides me with a unique form of learning; it is important because starting at a young age, activities like drawing and painting help to develop the stretching of my imagination, and expressing my innermost feelings” While a kid may not have the language to describe their emotions, a closer look at their drawings can reveal the truth”.

Speaking at a media parley, held at the gallery on Thursday, Segun Oni, co-founder and Board Chair of TCAG, traced his love for children’s art to his son’s early interest in drawing and painting, which he encouraged and today, he is happy for that support, as his 7-year-old son is creating art that people buy.

Again, Oni who can well-afford his child’s upkeep and education, is concerned about children whose parents cannot afford their education or healthcare, hence the TCAG platform to help them realise value from their creative talents at a young age and support their families.

On her part, Phoebe noted that TCAG is a good thing that has happened to her as she latches onto the platform to reach out to the excluded, vulnerable children and help them develop skills and talents that will positively impact their lives and society at large.

As well, a team from the World Health Organisation (WHO) delegation that visited the gallery as part of their visit to Nigeria for the National Arts in Health Week, commended the gallery and the founders for setting up a platform that has not only discovered young artists but empowered them alongside further creating awareness of Children’s Art and its impact on health and wellbeing.

Commenting on the exhibition, Christopher Bailey, Arts and Health Lead, World Health Organisation, said creative expression in all its forms not only contributes to the physical, mental and social well-being but is an essential part of what it means to be human.

“The arts help us cope, help us reconnect to ourselves, each other, and the world around us, but they also quite simply help us celebrate and acknowledge the joy of being alive,” he said.

In the same vein, Nisha Sajnani, founder, of Arts + Health @ New York University and co-director, of Jameel Arts & Health Lab, commended Segun Oni and Phoebe Giffey-Brohaugh for their initiative that has discovered young artists and lifted families.