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LASG Restates Commitment To Boost Artistic Talents, Charges Artists to Use Their Works To Campaign Against Societal ills

The Lagos State Government has restated its commitment to fully harness the potential in the creative sector, encouraging old and upcoming talents to achieve their dreams.

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, who was represented by the Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat made this known at the Greater Lagos Art Exhibition held at Victoria Island.

“I wish to assure you of our unrelenting commitment to the growth of this sector as one of the major drivers of policies in tourism development in Lagos State” he said

In a special address, the wife of the Governor, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, whose office organised the event in partnership with the Ministry of Tourism Arts and Culture, challenged artists to use their works to speak against societal ills, such as domestic and sexual violence and to also communicate the THEMES Agenda of the government through artistic representations.

She said “As opinion moulders and great influencers of thought, I challenge you to be deeply involved and commit yourself to supporting this administration in stamping out domestic and gender based violence and several other menaces within our society like child labour, sexual discrimination, and discrimination based on disability status. These are some of the key areas that you can leverage to educate the populace with the aim of transforming our society to be a better place”

“I also challenge you to be involved in communicating the THEMES Agenda of the Governor through artistic methodologies and visual representations to enlighten members of the public on how the Governor is transforming Lagos from what it used to be to what it is now. To effectively translate all these messages into art goes beyond being artistically gifted or creatively endowed, it also implies that as artists, you must be abreast of happenings around such that you can be able to relate same to the general public using artworks without distorting historical facts”

One of the Artists, explaining the details of one of the works on display to the Deputy Governor, Wife of the Governor and that of the Deputy Governor.

Speaking on the topic “Transformative Power of the Visual Arts:Lagos State as a Case Study” the Guest Lecturer and Art enthusiast, Professor Kunle Filani advised the State to take advantage of its status as a mega city to further promote and develop appropriate artistic and creative works depicting its rich history and culture with intrinsic communal meanings and impact.

The Exhibition Curator, Professor Olusola Ogunfuwa said the theme of the exhibition: “Art in and For Transformation” was chosen because art is not static and that over sixty works of arts, grouped according to materials used by the artists are on display.

Commissioner for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Mrs Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf revealed that Lagos had sought the cooperation of Consular offices in Foreign Countries to deepen the creative industry and for easy movement of legitimate works of arts across the globe.

“Engagements such as this, is part of our intervention as government to give visibility to our artists and their artworks in order to further deepen our creative Industry” Akinbile-Yusuf stated

The exhibition also featured mentorship session, workshop exercise and networking.

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