Specifically, your art has been on auction. Would you say that the response has been good in terms of say financially? Well, I mean if they weren’ t satisfied, they wouldn’ t buy it. In general, I don’ t think a lot about auctions. I do not make art for the auction market. I really haven’ t been actively engaged in the auctions.

The few times, I think, my works have only been to one or two auctions in Lagos. My attitude to auctions has always been is kind of ambivalence. Why? The reason is this; auction as secondary markets are double-edged swords, once you put your head in, your entire value as an artist could define by an outcome of an auction. Even though it mostly has nothing to do with quality of the artists work. Being aware that the art-buying world sort of follows a herd mentality, I tend to not seek it as a primary source of selling my work. I’ d be more comfortable working with dealers, museum curators or selling from my studio.

It seems as if one cannot really say this is the reason why this person or that person is collecting art. First of all, the person has to love art. Yes, there are people who collect art as

I would hope that my art would, besides the payment, be taken a lot more seriously in terms of historical and cultural content that I bring into it. Because I do not necessarily use the term make art because it is pretty.

investments, some of them do not even see the art they collect, they contract their collecting to art agents. I don’ t think majority of Nigerian collectors are at that point yet.

So what do you think these collectors look for specifically? I am not sure, but I can guess that some are looking to collect art because it makes them happy to live with objects they love. So, they’ ll look for

the kind and style of art they can relate to. Some people buy art because their status and peer group requires that they own artworks. Others buy because of investment value.

How do you want your art to be valued? How do you want your art to be looked at? I hope that my art would be appreciated more than its commercial value. Yes, I could use the money, but I’ ll get additional satisfaction seeing that the historical, cultural and social content of my work also give pleasure to collectors of my work.

Do you know the value of all your art if you were to put a number to it all together? I have no idea, I’ ll ask my accountant. But I think I am comfortable.

And even from that, do you know where your art are? They are a few in permanent collections of Smithsonian Institution National museum of African Art, Brooks museum, Hood Museum, Krannert Art museum, World bank collection and several private collections around the world.