Tiwani Contemporary Closes London Gallery as African Art Market Cools
Tiwani Contemporary, the London gallery founded by Maria Varnava in 2011, has permanently closed its London space and paused operations in Lagos as it enters a restructuring process. The move underscores the strain facing galleries that built their programs around contemporary African art at a moment when costs are rising and the market has softened.
Varnava said the decision follows financial challenges and a difficult environment for contemporary art. In a statement, she described the gallery’s 15-year run as an effort to expand the international reach of African art and said she was grateful to the artists, collectors, curators, and collaborators who supported that vision.
Tiwani’s growth had been steady. In 2022, it opened a 2,000-square-foot outpost in Lagos, where Varnava was raised. A year later, the gallery added a two-story space on Cork Street, placing it in one of London’s most established gallery districts. The closure process will be overseen by BTG Begbies Traynor (Central) LLP, with the stated aim of ensuring transparency and prioritizing artists’ needs.
The gallery built a compact but influential roster. It represented the late Alicia Henry, Dawit L. Petros, Umar Rashid, and Theo Eshetu, who is currently included in Koyo Kouoh’s “In Minor Keys” at the 61st Venice Biennale. Tiwani also showed Joy Labinjo and helped elevate artists including Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Kapwani Kiwanga, Simone Leigh, and Michaela Yearwood-Dan.
For years, the gallery was a regular presence at Frieze in London, Los Angeles, and New York, as well as 1-54 London, Art Basel Miami Beach, and Art X Lagos. It had been scheduled to exhibit at Liste in Basel next month, but has since withdrawn.
The closure arrives amid broader pressure on the African art market. Frank Kilbourn, chairman of the South African auction house Strauss and Co., has said the sector is under pressure, and auction sales of work by African artists have fallen well below their $116.5 million peak in 2022. Tiwani’s exit is a reminder that even galleries with strong international visibility are not insulated from the market’s current contraction.
