Tiwani Contemporary, Bastion of African Diasporic Art, Closes
By Polly Watson
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Tiwani Contemporary, the London-and Lagos-based gallery known for bringing attention to art of the African diaspora, has announced that it is closing after fifteen years in business. The London operation is shuttering today, while the Lagos branch will close to allow “restructuring in the months ahead” per an Instagram post.
Tiwani Contemporary was founded in the central London neighborhood of Fitzrovia in 2011 by Maria Vanava, a Greek Cypriot raised in Lagos, with the goal of elevating work by African diasporic artists, whose work, Vanava told WWD in 2023, people often expected to pay less for, compared to that of American or European artists.
The gallery showed the work of such now renowned artists as Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Kapwani Kiwanga, Joy Labinjo, Simone Leigh, Manuel Mathieu, Emma Prempeh. Barbara Walker, and Michaela Yearwood-Dan well before their rise to prominence. It opened its Lagos outpost in 2022 and moved its London branch to Mayfair the following year. Among the artists on its roster at the time of its closing are Dawit L. Petros, who will participate in the 2026 Toronto Biennial of Art, and Theo Eshetu, whose work is on view in the Koyoh Kouoh–curated main exhibition at this year’s Venice Biennale.
“Sadly, the current economic climate and the shifting landscape of the London art market no longer support our business model,” Varnava wrote. “The decision to wind down our activity is extremely painful, but it is a responsible step to address the financial challenges the gallery faces in a difficult market.”
Tiwani Contemporary’s closure follows that of London’s Stephen Friedman Gallery, which went dark in February after closing its New York outpost and entering bankruptcy proceedings.
“It has been an immense privilege to work with so many wonderful artists, and help to amplify their vital and extraordinary voices,” said Varnava. “Their impact will only continue to grow.”
This article was originally published by Artforum.