Nike Art Gallery

Nike, the eponymous art gallery is a fantastic place to spend a few hours. This is my second visit and each time I have been blown away by their warm, welcoming approach to guests. It is easy to find; almost smack bang at the 2nd roundabout on the Lekki Expressway. The gallery is spread out on 5 floors, every inch of wall space crammed with every imaginable permutation of African art. And the floor space is not wasted either. There's furniture, relief lighting, installation pieces, sculpture, fabric, and jewellery.

It is a wonderful treasure trove of discoveries and has something for everyone. It is a little bit cluttered, but not in a way that is detrimental to the experience. My arty friends are happy there and so am I, even though I usually find galleries to be a turgid combination of boring and random. Thanks to Nike, I have fallen madly, and hopelessly in love with the art of Tolu Aliki (first visit) and Peju Alatise (second visit) whose first exhibition began last Saturday. It is exciting to think that each visit brings the opportunity to be challenged and stimulated.

I don't think I can explain how huge it is that I am waxing lyrical about art. Usually when I go to a gallery, I fantasize about chucking out all the god-awful paintings and turning the space into a cosy bookshop/lounge space. I am not easily moved by art. I've been dragged round the Saatchi Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, the Tate, Proud Galleries, etc, etc, and a whole bunch of others by the Sistership and the Brothership who are budding artists themselves, but I find a lot of art to be hollow. Either the artists paint the same ole thing a few different times, or they try so hard to capture the ethereal esoteric that they appear to be frankly, really rather mad. It is exhausting to be confronted with either extreme mundane or extreme demented and often in rapid succession.

When I look at a piece of art, I want it to speak to me, and I want to be able to catch the emotional jet stream that the artist is on. I want to be presented with poetry and prose depicted visually, not aesthetic pleasantries carelessly strewn on canvas. The point of all this is, I went to Nike Art Gallery expecting it to be boring, but instead I came out inspired, excited, and possessed of a strange desire to drop N400k (which i don't have) on a painting.

If you haven't been to Nike, please do go. Nike and her husband are always about; reclining on deck chairs in the front yard, or strolling round the gallery chatting to visitors. There's a real excitement about art, and Nike is only too happy to answer questions or invite you to many of the other programmes they have running throughout the year. She's generous too and has been known to surprise unsuspecting visitors with a plate of steaming hot jollof rice! Case in point, after our visit, she packed us off with a complimentary beaded key ring each, and lots of encouragement.

You can check them out further here: http://www.nikeart.com/