21/09/2026
Five years ago, I took what many considered a crazy step: I created the Artmiabo International Art Festival, AMIAF
As an independent artist who had owned galleries, represented artists and sold my own work, I kept seeing the same problem: too many talented artists were underrepresented, undervalued and disconnected from the people who could move their careers forward.
So I built a different kind of platform.
There was no major funding. I pitched the vision to friends, family, collectors and individuals who believed in what Artmiabo Festival could become. Five years later, many are still standing with us.
Artmiabo Festival is ARTIST-FIRST.
We connect artists directly with collectors, buyers, media and institutions. And if an artist doesn't sell during the exhibition, our work doesn't end there.
We create publicity and digital documentation, blog about artists, produce interviews and podcasts, circulate portfolios privately to collectors, pursue commissions and exhibition opportunities, and build relationships beyond the festival.
This year, we added “Artist Meet Artist,” bringing participating artists together to interview, learn from and support one another. Because artists don't only need audiences. They need ecosystems.
In five years, Artmiabo festival has platformed, documented and celebrated 421+ artists from Africa and beyond, much of it at our own cost.
Our mission remains clear:
REPRESENT THE UNREPRESENTED.
Sales matter, but so do visibility, documentation, relationships and access. The right introduction at the right moment can change an artist's trajectory.
Through the commitment of our patrons, we have secured direct financial support for more than ten artists, enabling them to develop and execute significant projects. Beyond advancing their individual practices, these interventions have generated measurable value within their immediate art communities, reinforcing our commitment to building sustainable opportunities.
This September, I will be back on the ground in Abuja, working the phones, walking the exhibition halls and personally introducing artists and their work to collectors, media and art patrons as usual.
begin now
