The Institute of Contemporary African Art & Film is slated to open this spring.
By Rachel Gallaher
Images courtesy of ICAAF
As published in GRAY magazine No. 62
A rendering of a gallery inside the Institute of Contemporary African Art & Film, Nigeria’s first internationally significant visual arts center, which is slated to open this spring.
This spring, Nigeria will open the doors of its first in- ternationally significant visual arts center, the Institute of Contemporary African Art & Film (ICAAF). Located in the city of Ilorin and designed by Studio Contra, a Lagos-based architecture firm, ICAAF is a testament to the power and relevance of contemporary African design. Eschewing the notion of arts institutions as elite spaces, Studio Contra has designed the building as a hub for creativity with easy access points, windows into the galleries, and a low profile that feels welcoming—all elements that help integrate the arts center into the surrounding neighborhood. In addition to traditional galleries that will display contemporary African art ranging from paintings to sculpture, the ICAAF will also house post-production facilities, a film-screening room and lecture hall, a café, a coworking space, and a bookshop. A sculpture garden and courtyards further public access to the arts, while also providing a place for the community to gather.