Photography in Nigeria over the last 20 years has gained international recognition, traversing national borders and making its way into mainstream international photography festivals and discourses. With representations at major art events like the Bamako Biennale, Paris Photo, Documenta and the Venice Art Biennale, photographers from Nigeria are measuring up with their contemporaries all over the world.
A large number of young artists use photography as a medium to express their views on contemporary issues that affect the society. Thus, emphasizing photography as a critical tool and language of expression in modern times.
Unfortunately, very few indigenous platforms exist in Nigeria with the objective of educating and promoting emerging artists alongside the eclectic mix of international artists. Recent figures that only about 12 out of 55 institutions in Nigeria offer courses in art and design. Some professional bodies try to identify brilliant artists and promote professionalism in art; however, there are a lot of inconsistencies in the programme curricular that exist in Nigeria.
To meet this need, TNI has collaborated with various organisations to create an enabling environment for education in photography as well as develop several high quality educational mentorships and programmes that give the desired visibility to emerging photographers in Nigeria. Our programmes are also used as platforms to provide training opportunities in art photography to address some of the barriers that exist in the implementation of effective formal educational strategy.
At the crux of each programme is the need to provide a platform for artists to develop their craft and expose their work to a wide audience. Our commitment to discover and develop talent in Nigeria has been designed around a three-tiered mission that reflects the structure of TNI. These programmes are not just interrelated and interdependent but above all augment and complement each other.