ARESUVA debuts in the Nigerian Capital, Abuja

ARESUVA is the First African Regional Summit & Exhibition on Visual Arts organised by NGA. Its central theme is about Promoting the Visual Arts for Sustainable Economic Growth and Development in Africa. About 52 African countries have been invited to participate. The event will feature exhibitions, invited paper presentation, business meetings, art networking, study tour of the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) and its environs and summit state banquet.

Exhibition
The exhibition has been designed to be in two folds, that is, the Main and the Off. Artists have been invited from different African countries through their embassies in Nigeria and others directly through facilitators to participate in the main exhibition. The off exhibitions are to be organized by the private galleries within and outside Abuja. The main exhibition is curated by Nsikak Essien.

Aresuva will take place from the 7th - 13th September 2008 in Abuja.
More info at www.aresuva.com


More information culled from the Guardian Newspaper.

Rich timetable for ARESUVA

ALL is now set for the first African Regional Summit and Exhibition on Visual Art (ARESUVA) as the programme of activities released by the organizers, the National Gallery of Art (NGA) expect all participants to arrive Abuja on Sunday, September 7. The opening ceremony takes place on Monday, September 8 with Joe Musa, Director-General, NGA, giving the introductory address. This will be followed by Performance Art by the Blackman in European Kitchen, Emmanuel Eni, a Berlin, Germany based Nigerian artist. Welcome address will be delivered by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and National Orientation, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode while the lead paper is to be presented by Chief (Mrs.) Cecilia Ibru, MD/CEO, Oceanic Bank. The Minister will thereafter declare the exhibition open with vote of thanks by Soni Irabor, Chairman, Central Working Committee, ARESUVA 2008. A gala Nite rounds off the activities for Monday.

The plenary session opens on Tuesday September 9 with Prof. Ola Oloidi's paper; "Visual Arts in the Economic Advancement of a Nation - African Space." Lisa Binder speaks on. "Museum on African Art, New York: In Perspective" and Prof. Ikem Okoye will deliver his paper Prof. Anitra Nettleon's paper is titled; "Rural Artists/Art Market Interaction in South Africa" while Prof. Folarin focuses on, "The Cultural and Economic Viability of Monumental Sculpture in Public Spaces... (What Nigeria needs to do and emulated).

Plenary session 2 on Wednesday, September 10 kicks off with Prof. Ogunduyile's paper followed by that of Dele Jegege titled, "Strictures and Structures in the Nigerian Art Space". Other paper presenters for the day are Claudine Pommer and Prof. Sylvester Ogbechie.

Thursday, September 11, the star attraction for ARESUVA 2008 will be the roundtable on the topic: "Networking Opportunities in Visual Arts: Nigeria and USA Linkages". The discussants who are mainly USA-based are: Prof. Awam Amkpa; Prof. Deborah Willis; Prof. Manthia Diawara and Prof. Salah Hassan, as well as Simon Njami from Paris. Friday, September 12 is dedicated to sight seeing while departure date is Saturday, September 13. Exhibitions run through each day, 9:00am - 6:00pm.