Joke Silva celebrates New York Times obituary of sister

By
Wale Oloworekende
-
Joke Silva

American newspaper, New York Times, wrote a poignant obituary for Bisi Silva, deceased sister of famous actress, Joke Silva.

The obituary was announced by Joke Silva via Instagram on Sunday.

“Bizi… The New York Times did an Obit on you… you too cool girl,” she wrote.

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Bizi… the New York Times did an Obit on you…you too cool girl😎 Bisi Silva, 56, Bold Curator of Contemporary African Art, Dies Bisi Silva in Central Park during a trip to New York in 2016. Image Bisi Silva in Central Park during a trip to New York in 2016. “Twenty, 25 years ago, curators of contemporary art might have been completely and totally scared of going to ‘the Dark Continent,’ ” she said. “Now it’s like, ‘Oh, Bisi, I want to go to Lagos, I want to go to Ghana.’ ”CreditCreditGabriela Herman for The New York Times By Richard Sandomir Feb. 25, 2019 Bisi Silva, an adventurous curator who, with her own money, founded a nonprofit art gallery and education center in Lagos, Nigeria’s largest city, that has nurtured the growth and recognition of contemporary African artists, died on Feb. 12 in a hospital there. She was 56. Her sister Joke Silva, an actress, said the cause was breast cancer. Ms. Silva started the Center for Contemporary Art, Lagos in 2007 and made it a hub for bold and experimental sculpture, painting, photography and video and performance art that could ignite local and global interest. She also curated exhibitions of African art around the world. One, in Helsinki, Finland, in 2011, featured the Nigerian photographer J. D. Okhai Ojeikere’s images of African women’s exotic hairstyles. (She turned that show into a book.) Others showed the work of the Ghanaian-born sculptor El Anatsui in Amsterdam and Johannesburg. Subscribe to The Times for $2 a week.

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The New York Times feature published late in February described Bisi Silva as an “adventurous curator.”

“Ms. Silva started the Center for Contemporary Art, Lagos in 2007 and made it a hub for bold and experimental sculpture, painting, photography and video and performance art that could ignite local and global interest.

“She also curated exhibitions of African art around the world. One, in Helsinki, Finland, in 2011, featured the Nigerian photographer J. D. Okhai Ojeikere’s images of African women’s exotic hairstyles. (She turned that show into a book.) Others showed the work of the Ghanaian-born sculptor El Anatsui in Amsterdam and Johannesburg,” it read in part.

Joke Silva led friends, family and members of the Nigerian art community on Thursday, February 22 to celebrate the life of  Bisi Silva with an intimate ceremony at Freedom Park in Lagos.

Colleagues and students shared their experiences with the well-travelled art lover.

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