Tiwani Contemporary, Champion of African Art, to Shutter amid ‘Difficult Market’

London Follow +

Tiwani Contemporary, the London-and Lagos-based gallery that for the past 15 years has been known for championing artists from Africa and its diaspora, has announced plans to wind down operations in both its locations.

In a statement shared yesterday via Instagram, the gallery’s co-founder Maria Varnava confirmed that Tiwani Contemporary’s London space will shutter with immediate effect, while its Lagos location will “cease operations in its current format to allow for restructuring in the months ahead”.

The statement described the “immense privilege” of amplifying the gallery’s artists’ “vital and extraordinary voices”. It continued: “However, the directors of the gallery have taken the difficult decision to cease operations at Tiwani Contemporary. 

“Sadly, the current economic climate and the shifting landscape of the London art market no longer support our business model. The decision to wind down our activity is extremely painful, but it is a responsible step to address the financial challenges the gallery faces in a difficult market.”

Founded in 2011 by Varnava, a Greek Cypriot who grew up in Lagos, Tiwani Contemporary has represented several artists who have gone on to achieve international success, including painter and MacArthur fellow Njideka Akunyili Crosby; sculptor Simone Leigh, who represented the United States at the 2022 Venice Biennale, and Theo Eshetu, whose work is currently on show in Koyo Kouoh’s In Minor Keys at the 61st biennale.

Other notable names include Michaela Yearwood-Dan, whose practice explores Blackness, queerness, femininity, healing rituals, and carnival culture, and the British Nigerian artist Joy Labinjo, who is known for her large-scale paintings that take inspiration from family photos, found imagery and historical archives.

Varnava founded the gallery alongside Nigerian curator Bisi Silva, who proposed the name Tiwani. Loosely translated from Yoruba, the name means “ours” or “it belongs to us”.

According to the Tiwani Contemporary’s website, the name symbolised “a distillation of the gallery’s intentions to strive for inclusivity and attend to the particular meanings and circumstances of the work of individual artists”.

In 2022, coinciding with its 10th anniversary, the gallery opened its space in Victoria Island, Lagos. The following year, it left its space in Fitzrovia, London, for a larger premises on Cork Street, Mayfair. 

The gallery’s most recent Lagos exhibition, Ayotunde Ojo: A Life Of Its Own, closed on 16 May. Its current London show, Breaking Down Realities, which featured works by Nifemi Marcus-Bello, Hadassa Ngamba, Dawit L Petros, and Muzae Sesay, had been due to run until 8 August.

Varnava’s Instagram statement confirmed that the gallery has instructed BTG Begbies Traynor (Central) LLP to “ensure an orderly and professional transition for our staff and artists”.

The post added: “I am profoundly grateful to the artists who have entrusted us with their work, the collectors, curators and collaborators who have supported our vision, and to our dedicated team who have contributed so much to the gallery’s legacy.”