Tiwani Contemporary, a platform for contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora, permanently closed its London gallery and paused operations in Lagos ahead of a planned restructuring. The closures were attributed to financial challenges driven by rising operating costs and a difficult market for contemporary art. The decision was described as extremely painful. The gallery was founded in London in 2011 and later expanded, including a two-story Cork Street space in 2023 and a Lagos outpost in 2022. The founder expressed gratitude to artists and supporters. The gallery’s roster included artists such as Alicia Henry, Dawit L. Petros, Umar Rashid, and Theo Eshetu, and it participated in major international art fairs. It also withdrew from Liste in Basel.
"Tiwani Contemporary, a world-leading platform for contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora, has permanently closed its London gallery. Its Lagos location has also paused operations ahead of a planned restructuring."
"The gallery cited "financial challenges," worsened by rising operation costs and "a difficult market" for contemporary art, as the reason for its "extremely painful" decision to close."
"Founded in London by Maria Varnava in 2011, Tiwani is named after a Nigerian Yoruba phrase meaning "it belongs to us." The gallery expanded for the years, most recently establishing a two-story space on Cork Street, an art-rich area of London, in 2023. The previous year, Tiwani opened its 2,000-square-foot outpost in Lagos, where Varnava was raised."
"Tiwani was a stalwart of the international fair scene, regularly participating at Frieze in London, Los Angeles, and New York, 1-54 London, Art Basel Miami Beach, and Art X Lagos. The gallery had been slated to exhibit at Liste in Basel next month, but it has pulled out."
Read at Artnet News
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