The National Gallery of Art (NGA) has announced its intention to launch a system for registering and certifying visual artists.

This initiative aims to provide authentication for the work of Nigerian artists, ensuring that their creative output is officially recognised and documented.

The Director General of the National Gallery of Art, Mr. Ahmed Bashir Sodangi, made this known at a press briefing held in his office in Abuja.

Sodangi further disclosed that NGA has developed the National Arts Exchange Platform, which is an e-platform that allows fluidity in documentation and certification.

He further stated that the agency has a back-loading system that allows artists to thoroughly track their works globally.

He said: “In this new dispensation, it is essentially not about what the artist will do for the NGA, but what we will do for the artist. How do we bridge the gap between the artist and the market? One of the things we’ve developed is the National Arts Exchange Platform, which is an e-platform.

“We’ve developed an application, an NGA application, where artists can come in and register. So we document the artist, we document the artwork. It allows artists to showcase and interface with the market directly. This will now bridge the gap, and the artists will see the actual success in their artistry.

“The certification will give credibility in cases where it is to be exported outside the country. We also have a back-loading system for security purposes, where you can track your artwork globally.”