Orisun Arts Gallery set to satisfy the yearnings of Abuja arts lovers

Situated in the Central Business District of the Federal Capital Territory is Orisun Art Gallery. The gallery, which is managed by Dayo Adetunbi, an art collector, can be described as the mother of art galleries in Abuja.
The beauty of the three-month-old gallery is not just the exquisite building that houses it or the quality of artworks but also the huge number of collections as well as the manner the art pieces are preserved in the gallery, which is rare in a country that underplays the relevance of such a venture.

Another surprise about the gallery is that it is not even owned by one of the notable visual artists in town. It is collected over time by a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Olubunmi Adetunbi, who represents Ekiti State North.

Touring the different segments that house the art pieces, you wonder how long it has taken the gallery owners to assemble the work on display. The lawmaker says it is not a day job, adding that he is from a family that celebrates arts and culture, his father being a master organist.

“In the hierarchy of arts, music is the apex of the genres of arts. So, it is a family of artists. I believe it runs in the family. Myself and my brother were hardened collectors for arts.”
He disclosed that his history in art collection dated back to his days as a student of the University of Ibadan, which he described as the centre of artistic expression, including cultural arts, fabrics and all that.

“And I began to see a lot of interests in arts and I started picking little, little artworks and by the time I finished my master’s programme, I started work with the Central Bank and then, I started discovering little objects that can be used for house decorations, wood carvings as well as batiks just to decorate my home.

“This moved from home decoration to a hobby and from hobby, it became a passion, almost an obsession.

“So, as I grew in age, in career and income, I began to do more collection purely for interest and personal pleasure,” he said.