With 17 from Nigeria and one from Ghana, Lianna Foundation and Gallery (LFG) is celebrating creative momentum, personal exploration and cultural transformation. Opened in January 2025, the gallery in its first exhibition is showcasing 56 works of 18 artists.
The inaugural exhibition does not merely open a space; it inaugurates the vision of the gallery. The Voyage is the organisation’s foundational gesture setting the tone for a future shaped by artistic depth, cultural dialogue, and radical imagination.
The gallery said at the heart of this journey is a commitment to representation, equity, and community-building. It describes the Voyage as a deeply personal milestone, which represents a full-circle moment, a culmination of over a decade of artistic relationships, mentorships, and shared creative journeys that shaped the foundation of LFG.
The show, which will run until the end of May 2025 honours these connections while opening a forward-facing platform for innovation and inclusive dialogue in contemporary African art.
LFG describes the Voyage as a manifestation of shared creative paths and enduring relationships, brought into the light for the world to witness, that it’s as much about past resilience as it is about future promise.
Speaking at the opening in Copper Road, Ikoyi, Lagos, Director, LFG, Prince Ayoola, said: “This is the first exhibition in Lianna Gallery after it was founded in January 2025. We have 18 artists with 59 works to be exhibited between.
“The Voyage describes a new journey for me and for Lianna as a new organisation that aims at supporting and a development space for artists.
“Each artist’s work is unique. Everybody was chosen for a reason; I worked with some of the artists at the African Artists’ Foundation (AAF) so, this first show is a coming together of the artists and the relationship I built during my time at AAF.”
Ayoola, who is also the curator of the exhibition, added: “These artists are just coming to the scene and ready to showcase their talents in painting, sculpture, photography and others so, the space is about finding the balance. A lot of spaces want to parade big artists but we are allowing young talented artists to explore and later establish themselves and get people to see their works.
“Lianna’s mission is to be a development space for artists and an open space that welcomes new voices.”
Speaking with The Guardian, one of the exhibiting artists, Eyitayo Alagbe, whose four works, Holiday Timeout, Mindscape, After a Long Day and Boldness, are on display, said: “My childhood experience and men’s mental health are what influenced my choice of work.
“When I was younger, I was always fascinated about visiting the beach and experiencing water but I was cautioned about getting close. We don’t have a lot of water bodies in Ibadan and I needed to travel to Lagos to visit a beach so, that influenced the idea of Holiday Timeout”.
“MindScape explores mental health; men don’t talk and are dying in silence. I am communicating with men through MindScape to let out things on their minds.”
