Lagos to Los Angeles: Rele Gallery Expands

LOS ANGELES, United States — Rele Gallery, best known for its outpost in Lagos, Nigeria and its commitment to emerging young talents in contemporary visual arts, has launched its second location stateside in Los Angeles, California this February. Even in a period marked by its virtual comings and goings, the occasion to gather physically with spacial distancing in tact is a respite - in fact, it is a privileged one.

Tonia Nneji “Portrait of the Listeners” (2020). Courtesy of Rele Gallery

Part of the storytelling of African artists in the United States often takes place through the structure of Western spaces. Rele Gallery’s investment in building out a physical presence at the nexus of a robust and dynamic market allows for a multitude of voices to represent artists from places that are historically narrativized in a stereotypical way.

Founded by Adenrele Sonariwo, Rele Gallery’s inaugural exhibition in Los Angeles will highlight three women artists — Tonia Nneji, Chidinma Nnoli, and Marcellina Akpojotor — in a bright space on Melrose Avenue in Beverly Grove. It is particularly meaningful as this physical space marks a somewhat surprising first; the first time an African-based gallery opens in the Los Angeles area. Orita Meta - Crossroads, loosely translated in Yoruba as a junction where three roads meet is apt for the trio of artists whose work collectively and singularly touches on themes of purity, femininity, and sense of self amidst an ever twisted societal standard.

The emphasis on selecting artists currently creating on the African continent signifies a keen intentionality to show site-specific works that bear in mind the present realities and historical context that the works themselves depict. Contemporary African artists have a global appeal, receive coverage in global publications, and now can count physical spaces led by homegrown talents such as Sonariwo to showcase their oeuvres. Add to that, Rele Gallery currently boasts a strong stable of US-based patrons; so the Los Angeles space further supports this mission of meeting collectors where they are. Sonariwo reflected in an Instagram post on the very patient six years it took to make this vision a reality.

For a gallery focused on mentoring the next generation of emerging artists, this inaugural exhibition in a new space feels like making good on its promises and we couldn’t be more thrilled to see it.

Rele Gallery Los Angeles opens February 1, 2021 by appointment only. Lead Image Courtesy of @relegallery.