In commemoration of the 50 year anniversary of the sister cities partnership between The City of Atlanta, Georgia and our very own Lagos State; the US Consulate General in Lagos and Rele Foundation collaborated last month to introduce the Lagos – Atlanta Exchange Residency program.

This program is aimed at promoting artistic collaborations and exchange between individuals living in both cities is spearheaded by Lauren Tate Baeza, the curator of African Art at the High Museum of Art, Atlanta, Georgia USA.

It is in the company of other programs such as the market exchange between Atlanta’s Creative Juneteeth and Lagos’ Africa Creative Market and the college partnership between Spelman College and three Lagos State Universities.

Atlanta, today is home to America’s fifth largest Nigerian population and began its sister city program with Lagos in 1974 in a bid to build bridges and open doors for deeper collaborations. The Atlanta leg of this exchange was completed in February this year with Lagos based artists Taiye Idahor and Kainebi Osahenye spending 10 weeks in Atlanta working to exhibit artworks which they produced – for the Atlanta Beltline – a pedestrian trail connecting neighborhoods in Atlanta.

Their work is situated in community with other Nigerian artists such as Yinka Shonibare and Jimoh Buraimoh’s sculptures creating a reference point for community of Nigerians and Atlantans alike.

Hosted at Angels and Muse Art Studio, artists Myra Greene and Artemus Jenkins created works relevant to the cultural contexts of both cities over the past 2 months. The artists were selected by Lauren due to their experience and the complementary nature of their work to Lagosian cultural contexts.

Myra Greene, a professor, accomplished textile artist and photographer highlighted her experience with mentor Nike Davies-Okundaye of Nike Art Gallery, appreciating the validation and elevation of histories of crafts and art. Myra’s work in Lagos, spoke to the vibrancy of the city, with references to race, materiality and culture. She explored the materiality to culture as it presents itself within the notion of being black. Her work combined practices she enjoys and the theory of race, culture and tradition; amalgamating techniques from across cultures converging on identity – much like the melting pot that Lagos city represents.

Her work was displayed during the Afropolis exhibition at the John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History, a befitting site due to its appreciation and preservation of culture.

Artemus Jenkins in his second trip to Lagos commented on his relation to its communal culture much like his background in marketing and his documentation of his home city, Atlanta. He highlighted the similarities between both cities in their access and culture. Artemus, a documentarian and artist, captures the essence of life; community, emotions and experiences in his photographs, films and collages. His films capture life in its more elemental state with work for Netflix, 2Chainz and other notable productions.

Artemus’ journey to documentary photography is the result of the desire to capture and express the truth behind narratives projected through his subjects. His exhibition hosted at Angels and Muse Art Studio was dedicated to capturing the defenses with which people fortify themselves. Titled GIT YOU SUM PROTECTION, Artemus captures a time capsule of his time along the West African coast. Inspired by a spiritual experience, this exhibition spoke to the resistance and willpower of individuals battling multifaceted racial dynamics. It also acknowledged the presence of institutions and control whose actions shape the subjects of most of his works.

His carefully curated collages combined archival and new footage to highlight the similarities in culture and community between countries on the coast to themselves and Atlanta. The exhibition is in its second iteration, as Artemus seeks to continuously explore and fortify narratives by hand embellishing his collages.
Both artists immersed themselves within Lagos and its culture in various capacities, with Artemus highlighting the difference in frameworks of conflict resolution between Lagos and Atlanta and Myra commending the tenacity embedded in the life and culture of Lagos and its peoples. Both hoping to return back, each artist through their work and experience accentuated the creative fabric of Lagos and Atlanta. Whilst Artemus tapped into the creative class of Nigeria accentuating the spirit of flair and framework of style encompassed on an individual level, a continuation of the genre in his previous work; Myra, through the support of artisans and institutions intertwined local Lagos contexts into the cultural fabric of her work henceforth.
Lauren Baeza, whom conceived and championed the project over the past few years has a vision for greater representation of African art in a qualitative manner that ensures African artists continue to gain recognition globally. This speaks to her long-standing appreciation and agency of African culture & works of African origin – albeit with a progressive and sustainable positioning – which marries lovers and afficionados of said art from the private & public sectors with value-driven arts & culture initiatives that deliver layered benefits and value to all. This edition of the program concluded in November and will be revisited in the near future.

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