Ecobank reaffirms support for African creatives with “The Convergence” exhibition

Ecobank, in partnership with AD Consulting, has opened “The Convergence” exhibition in Lagos, reaffirming its commitment to supporting African creative talents and platforms that promote the continent’s culture, heritage and intellectual capital.

Speaking ​‌‌‍​‍⁠⁠‌⁠⁠⁠‌​⁠‌​‌​at the opening on Thursday night, Mr Austen Osokpor, Head of Marketing and Corporate Communications at Ecobank Nigeria, said the exhibition brings together art and architecture to tell the African story and create greater visibility for creative talents.

It was reported that the wider exhibition will continue from Oct. 2 to Oct. 7, giving a broader audience the opportunity to experience the works and engage with the ideas underpinning The Convergence.

Osokpor said Ecobank’s support for the creative sector was driven by its belief that Africa’s wealth extends beyond financial capital to include culture, creativity, intellectual capital and heritage.

“Ecobank is ready and Ecobank will support talents across different categories, whether it be arts, photography or music.

“We believe this is the only way we can tell the African story in a proper way for others to understand and take it from us,” he said.

According to him, the partnership with AD Consulting is designed to use art and architecture to present a different dimension of the African story.

He said the initiative aligned with Ecobank’s Pan-African vision of supporting African culture and contributing to the development of the continent.

Osokpor said the exhibition would also provide an avenue to bring the works of African talents to a wider audience.

“These are wonderful African works that have been done by talents that represent the continent.

“Most of these things would have been somewhere that you wouldn’t even know they exist, but today we are bringing them out to the public for everybody to see,” he said.

In her remarks, Olajumoke Adenowo, architect and founder of AD Consulting, said the Convergence was inspired by her New Heritage philosophy, which seeks to deepen conversations around architecture, art and African heritage.

Adenowo said architecture and art were closely connected because both could combine functionality, aesthetics and emotional expression.

She said the New Heritage concept involved drawing from the ideas and problem-solving approaches of African ancestors to address contemporary challenges.

According to her, African heritage can provide lessons for contemporary design, sustainability and city planning.

Adenowo also challenged collectors and wealthy individuals to move beyond acquiring artworks or commissioning buildings to becoming patrons who invest in ideas and creative talent capable of creating lasting legacies.

“Collectors acquire paintings, clients commission architects, but patrons curate a legacy,” she said.

She cited Ecobank’s earlier support for her architectural work as an example of institutional patronage and said investment in creative ideas could produce value beyond immediate commercial returns.

Adenowo said the exhibition was designed to encourage people to have greater confidence in identifying and supporting creative ideas that could shape the future.

One of the exhibiting artists, Emmanuel Oyeleke, a photographer, said the exhibition provided an opportunity to document Nigerian architecture and communicate the ideas behind the New Heritage movement.

Oyeleke said he spent about a year travelling around Nigeria to photograph architectural works and buildings for the project.

He said the exhibition also demonstrates that indigenous and local challenges could be addressed through solutions rooted in African experiences and knowledge.

Another exhibiting artist, Joshua Nmesirionye, said his work, “Beneath the Watchful Moon”, was inspired by his experience of Lagos traffic at night.

He described art as a means of documenting everyday experiences while providing emotional and aesthetic value to viewers.

Duke Asidere, another participating artist, said he was using his work to draw attention to insecurity in Nigeria.

Asidere said the work reflected his concerns about attacks on farmers, travellers and other Nigerians, and called for stronger protection of lives and property.