On this episode we have a special interview with curator, writer and photographer, Aisha Aliyu-Bima, who opens her largest curated project next week at the Yemisi Shyllon Museum in Lagos, Nigeria.

Titled, ’AREWA?’, this exhibition presents a deep and nuanced look at Northern Nigeria, featuring its various cultures, its people and the predominant ideas that make up Northern identity in today's Nigeria. With a long history of Negative Stereotypes fuelled by the media where northern parts of Nigeria have been seen to have alot of insecurity, violence, underdevelopment and more, Aisha walks us through the historical and cultural necessity of this exhibition, and its need for demystifying the preconceived views of the north.

With a whopping 40 Artists and over 80+ works, This exhibition will be the first of its kind at the museum and probably the most comprehensive curatorial undertaking of Northern Art to date.

Aisha is the Director of Arts at the African School of Economics, Abuja, Nigeria. Her work mainly focuses on Africa's contemporary arts through the lens of Language, Conflict, Material and Reparations.

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On this episode, we speak to designer-cum-curator Olufisayo Bakare on her journey to becoming a curator, the responsibilities of holding such a position and the future of the African Art Market as it relies on specific industry stakeholders.

Nowadays the verb “to curate” appears frequently in our everyday lives, we listen to curated playlist, eat from curated menus and even stream films from curated platforms but we rarely discuss the importance of the curatorial practice in the visual arts.

With a background in Interior Design, Olufisayo Bakare has trained her eye to find the rare balance between simplicity with African artistry in her work. Her keen interest in ‘carving the phenomenal out of the familiar’ has inspired her curatorial practice by establishing her as an ally in the preservation, documentation, and representation of African culture through various art forms. She is an integral part of the ‘Precolonial Societies of Nigeria’ program, formulating the teaching manual for the Ile-Ife pre-colonial society. Buttressing this, Bakare is an active member of the ongoing ‘Museums of the Future’ program facilitated by Geothe Institut. She is also the Founder of Interior Living, and The Yellow of Lagos.

On this episode of “Art Professionals Africa Unplugged, we speak to Founder of O’DA Art & Obida Collective Obida Obioha on The Art of Collecting in Nigeria: Art investment and tips on building a diverse collection.

Obida Obioha is the creative director of a number of design related enterprises: ODA Art (art advisory), O’DA(Interior Design) and Obida.Store (Product and fashion design). The unifying thread interweaving these seemingly disparate businesses is the desire to spread beauty and wellness into people’s lives.

Obida trained at Scuola Politecnica di Design in Milan where he obtained a Master’s Degree in Interior Design and a Diploma in Product Design. He has a sharp eye for design that works by fusing African Aesthetics with a Contemporary nod.