Lagos Living – A Visit to the Nike Art Gallery and Lekki Arts and Crafts Market.

I do not consider myself an art lover read as freak. An art exhibition is probably one of the last places you’ll ever find me yet somehow I found myself at the famous Nike Art Gallery in Lagos and I’m so glad I made the decision to visit.

 

Hi there, Welcome once again to the WanShyGirl Blog and Welcome to the month of April. It’s the first quarter yo! How are those life goals coming along?

Today I bring you a #Touristinmycity typa post. If you ever got around to reading my “Top 5 Places I’ll love to visit in Lagos come 2018” post (check it out if you haven’t) you’ll recall that the Nike Art Gallery was top on the list.

RELATED – Lagos Living | A Trip to the Lekki Conservation Centre.

Well, I finally got to tick it off my list with two amazing ladies. I’ll be sharing details on how to get there, what to expect and what my experience was like. Expect more pictures than words though. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

My waka waka partners, Vickie of TheLazyOutfitter blog and Labake were warmly welcomed by Mama Nike herself alongside her husband and her employees.

We took time to explore each floor, whilst taking pictures of course, which was filled with art from top to bottom.

So, where is the Nike Art Gallery located?

The Nike Art Gallery has branches in 4 different states in Nigeria; Kogi, Osun, Abuja and Lagos. The Lagos branch which was opened to the public in September 2009 is located at 2, Elegushi Road, Lekki Phase I, Ibeju Lekki, at the entryway of Ikate 3rd Roundabout Bus Stop. You sure cannot miss the majestic pristine white building.

Right from the entrance everything na is art

The gallery owned by Mrs Nike Davies -Okundaye, a professional Textile Artist and Painter, was set up to promote Nigerian artists, culture and art in general. According to the Nike Art official website;

(Mama) Nike  went ahead in 2009 and built a five floor ultra modern cultural art centre at Lekki Peninsula, Lagos with the main purpose of positively transforming the landscape of the hitherto neglected art and culture in Nigeria. This building also holds Nike’s second textile museum. It also houses the 4th Nike Art Gallery in Nigeria with a large stock of Nigerian and African art of deferent media. 

The Lagos gallery houses several artworks; paintings, sculptures, beadworks, metalworks, made by Nigerian creatives. Entry is free but photography of the artworks is not allowed.

One major artist whose artwork I was attracted to, is that of Tolu Aliki, a contemporary artist, who makes use of oil pastel and acrylic to create amazing paintings. His art is so colorful and vibrant you can’t help but fall in love.

After feeding our eyes, taking a thousand and one pictures and having a chat with Mama Nike and her beau ( I really enjoyed chatting with Mr Davies) we decided to check out the Lekki Arts & Craft Market also known as Oba Elegushi International Market or Jakande Art Market.

The market is located at Oba Elegushi Street, Off Lekki-Epe expressway between 4th and 5th roundabout. It’s quite hidden but not so difficult to locate.

Initially, we had no plans to visit the market, but when we found out that it was close by we chose to kill two birds with one stone. We were expecting a whole market on a street typa setting but like every place in Lagos that has been overhyped on Instagram, this market was no different.

The Lekki Arts and Crafts market is pretty much located in a shopping complex with several traders housed in one place selling all sorts of handmade artworks, jewelry, clothing, accessories, décor and other crafts.

Photo credit – Busayo and Habiba 

Some of these artworks are made by the artisans at the market while others are brought to the market from other parts of the country.

There were so many items that caught my eye but some were quite pricey and out of my budget for the day. Although, it’s been said that you need to bring your negotiation game on whenever you are at the Arts and Crafts market. This is because a lot of tourists frequent the market and as such, the traders hike the prices of the goods.

I had no interest in the other artworks so I ended up buying a raffia basket (which I’ve been hunting for) for N500 while Vicky got a “beach straw bag” for N900 ( I felt she could have got it for lesser though).

After satisfying ourselves and taking a few pictures (It was getting late and our batteries were almost out) we headed back to the mainland where we all reside.

All in all, it was nice exploring these parts of Lagos. You don’t need to have a ton of money before you visit these places. Get yourself a group of friends, a good camera and an open mind and you’re ready to explore. Also, put on comfortable clothing and footwear especially if you are not mobile.

For my outfit of the day, I kept it casj in a checked flannel shirt, floral camisole previously styled here, white polyester pants (which almost became brown at the end of the day because Lekki is such a dusty place) and my handmade sandals also styled here.

Are you getting mixed print style inspiration yet?

RELATED – How To Wear An All White Outfit In Fall

Vicky also chose the Casj route in a simple bubble sleeve striped shirt, ripped black jeans and leather slides made by yours truly.

Labake chose the Afrocentric route in her Ankara dress, stylish head wrap, handmade sandals from Lucy Daves, some arm candy and the cupcake novelty purse which was literally the icing on the cake.

I’ll love to return to the Nike Art Gallery and the Lekki Arts and Crafts Market some other time. Perhaps I might purchase more items from the market as well.

Also check out these reviews by other bloggers here, here,  here and  here.

Ever visited the Nike Art Gallery or Lekki Arts and Crafts Market?

If you have any questions concerning these places feel free to leave them in the comment section. 

Until next time,

WanShyGirl.