Shopping tourism is as old as the origin of the sector because it is impossible for tourism to take place without money changing hands and travellers or better put tourists buying or shopping for goods and articles and one area of interest is cultural souvenirs, which come in arts and crafts as well as colourful textile.

This has significantly boosted the patronage of the global arts and textile to an astronomical level with innovations and trend sustaining the market space from generation to generation. The global arts market size grew from $441.02 billion in 2022 to $579.52 billion in 2023 at a compound annual growth of 31.4 percent

Also in 2022, the global arts market generated nearly $68 billion, surpassing the figures reported prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and reaching the second highest value in the last 15 years; according to artbasel report, the arts market is expected to grow to $682.08 billion in 2027 at a compound annual growth of 4.2 percent.

On the other hand, the size of the textile market is valued at $1,575.40 million in 2021 and is poised to grow from $1,696.13 million in 2022 to $3,047.24 million by 2030 at a compound annual growth of 7.6 percent, according to skyquest report.

For Nigerian textile and arts industries to significantly share in the proceed of the market space at the short and long term, there is the need for a synergy between the public and private sector players to harmonise plans and strategies in practical terms to build a value added platform, driven by policy, funding and innovative trend.

It was on this basis that the National Museum of Unity Ibadan partnered with BlackulHeritage to host the maiden edition of TEXART Fair, a platform created to encourage the makers of crafts and, at the same time, bring together buyers to a meeting point where business, money and materials can be exchanged for posterity.

According to the convener of the TEXTART Fair and CEO of BlackulHeritage, Mr Adewale Asubiojo, a multi-dimensional artist and an environmental activist, “Our focus is to attract the attention of the international communities to the art market thereby making this event a laudable and credible one as people will yearn for this annually.

“In Africa, indigenous crafts are used to identify the rich cultural heritage which can be a weapon to defend our territory from the enormous poverty in which lack of employment and others has caused the society.

“Arts, indigenous crafts and other related artefacts are our heritage that cannot be overlooked if its value can be evaluated in terms of generating income to the federal revenue.

“In an era when things seem so difficult to achieve, the basic focus of the government should be promotion, support and patronsing of local crafts.

“There is the need to take this giant stride in capturing the attention of every sector of the economy, especially the arts and textile sector and involving international communities.

“We have been able to make a lot of efforts in making this market remain the best of which many visual artists, craftsmen and women, tools makers, art lovers, art collectors and many others will meet to transact businesses and take it to the next level.”

Explaining further, Asubiojo said “Promoting art is not an easy task. It is quite understandable that the government cannot provide all the facilities needed but they must tend to support wonderful projects such as this-TEXART FAIR, a credible art market including the private sectors by investing in art and our indigenous crafts in Nigeria.

“Art and tourism work together. Meeting people, talking to people, visiting historical places and feasting eyes on some wonderful pieces of creative art works can make people live a better and easy life, even in our day to day activities.”

Speaking at the TEXART Fair, the keynote speaker, Dr Adeniyi Adediran, who addressed the theme; ‘Nigerian Textile and Arts: Yesterday, Today and Future,’ said the theme for the discourse is lucrative and divergent.

He said that the usage of factory-processed cotton is very appalling. Besides cotton, another weaving material that is popular in the North is silk (Hausa-tsamiya), (Yoruba- sanyan).

“Yesterday, another related raw material for textile art was production of local dye from ‘elu’ leaves.

“Today, clothes are dyed more with synthetic mordant and dyes. Technology employed nowadays for production of resist dyed fabrics, Adire-tie-dye is a mixture of both manual and mechanical. Certain tools and equipment are often locally fabricated while quite a number are imported.

“It is worthy to state that development in art and textiles today is unparalleled, most especially in the application. Yesterday textiles were used principally for clothing and interior. But nowadays, various brands of textiles, bonded, bleached, dyed, knit are used not only for clothing but for furnishing, fashion accessories, designing etc.

“However, contemporary usage of textiles appears to be unlimited and often expands and incorporates non-conventional materials and blends both in processing, designing and application. For instance, combination of Ankara materials and aso-oke to make shoes, bags, purses, accessories, blazers and suits. Often, upholstery materials are blended with aso-oke for interior decorations such as couches, table-mats.

“Textiles are fashioned into ladies jewelleries – necklaces, head and wrist bands, ear-rings, etc. It is very obvious that the Chinese and Indian textile markets seem undaunted and technologically overwhelmed Nigerian Adire market with various designs that we manually produced for decades.”

Adeniran explained that painters have combined different fabric materials to produce paintings, traditional textile motifs are freely utilised in ceramic wares, graphics and in other arts. Traditional sculptors play significant roles in carving of Egungun masks, doors, palace columns etc.

According to Adeniran “Today, the Chinese and Indian textile designers explore their creative ingenuity and improved technologies to outsmart the Nigerian designers. In fact, the small-scale Adire textile industrialists in all the nooks and crannies of Abeokuta, Osogbo, Ibadan, Ekiti, Ilorin, Kano, etc., cannot meet the global demands of Adire. The gap so plausibly created spurs the Chinese and Indians to expedite Adire mass production employing modern improved technologies that seem to be more sophisticated.

Without mincing words, the future of Nigerian textile is bright and enterprising if only the present challenges that the Nigerian textile faced from Asian countries are considered as source of strength.

This could be translated into development of our indigenous technologies and expand our creativities to compete favourably in the international market.

“Time is ripe to strengthen and intensify a sustainable synergy between textile related professionals, designers, technologists, artists and manufacturers.

“Exploration of culturally-motivated designs in all facets of textile productions which include among others spinning, weaving, printing, dyeing, fashion designing, garment making, embroidery, monogramming and other textile accessories to distinguish themselves in the global market.

“It is paramount that our textile art and artworks should focus on varied interests such as social classes, the military, the political class, civilians, the royalty, students, professionals and artisans.”

In her remarks, the Curator, National Museum of Unity, Ibadan, Oriyomi Otuka Pamela, noted that the contemporary African art scene, textile art has found new life in the hands of innovative artists, who have skillfully blended old art techniques with fresh techniques and methods in the creation of visual images that transcend borders.

“Among the key elements of the rich cultural heritage of Nigeria are textiles and sculptures which have played pivotal roles in the nation’s identity.

“In recent years, there has been a revival of traditional art forms, with its fusion of modern art practices which has transformed Nigeria’s artistic landscape and also contributed to the preservation of its cultural legacy.”

“The evolution of Contemporary African Textile Art is a testament to the resilience and creativity of African artists, who have navigated the complex interplay of tradition, innovation and global influences to create a vibrant and dynamic art form that transcends borders.

“It is essential that we continue to support and nurture the development of African textile art, ensuring that it remains a vital and thriving part of our global cultural fabric.

“The continuing significance of African textile art lies not only in its preservation of cultural heritage, but also in its contribution to the global art discourse.

“By embracing both the old and the new, contemporary African textile artists are helping to forge a new visual language that speaks to the shared experiences, concerns, and aspirations of people around the world.

“Looking ahead, the future prospects and challenges of Contemporary African Textile Art will likely revolve around striking a nexus between tradition and innovation, ensuring that the unique heritage of African textile art is preserved and celebrated, while also allowing for the growth and evolution of other art forms.

“Additionally, it will be crucial to promote sustainability and ethical practices in the creation and consumption of African textile art, ensuring that the artistic legacy of this tradition endures for generations to come.”