RAI and the Afterlife of a Lagos Art Experiment

RAI, the Revolving Art Incubator, celebrated its 10th anniversary with a six-month programme called Afterlives/AfterSpaces, running from June to December. The programme opened with a launch and InstaLive conversations in June, followed by In Memoriam, a series of archive installations in July, urban interventions in August, the Maker Lab exhibition, symposium and anniversary event in September, a film programme and Storytelling Lab in October, and a retrospective exhibition in November. The final activation, outSPOKEN, took place in December.

Jumoke Sanwo, the founder of RAI, has always aimed to create a space where artists could experiment and work alongside professionals from various fields. She believes that contemporary art should not remain behind gallery walls but should be accessible to the public. Over the past decade, RAI has staged more than 50 solo and group exhibitions and organised residencies, apprenticeships, workshops, conversations and collaborative projects.

For many artists who passed through RAI's doors, the exhibitions were only part of the attraction. Its unique building, with its labyrinthine character, was part of its appeal. The programming was well-curated, offering a mix of exhibitions, artist talks, and architectural pieces. RAI has also explored topics such as technology, architecture, filmmaking, curating, and cultural production through its conversations.

RAI continues to provide a platform for new thinkers and ideas, even ten years after its inception. The anniversary programme revisits subjects such as technology, architecture, filmmaking, curating, and cultural production, raising questions about creativity, ownership, and the role of artificial intelligence in the artistic process.

The Material Futures Maker Incubator, launched in August, brought together artists, architects, designers, makers, and cultural thinkers to explore the idea of "The Sandal of the Future." The incubator aimed to create exhibition-ready prototypes from an ordinary object associated with movement, highlighting the importance of indigenous knowledge, design, and technology.

RAI's approach also extends beyond its familiar setting with "Global Localisation," a concept that engages with the wider world without discarding local histories, indigenous knowledge, and cultural traditions. This idea is reflected in the anniversary programme's artistic interventions in markets, neighbourhoods, transport corridors, and informal commercial spaces.