Tiwani Contemporary
Tiwani Contemporary




Tiwani Contemporary is a leading gallery dedicated to showcasing artists from Africa and its diaspora, fostering global dialogue on experience and belonging. Founded in London in 2011 by Maria Varnava with guidance from curator Bisi Silva, the gallery expanded to Lagos in 2022 and Mayfair, London, in 2023. It presents emerging and established artists across its two locations, collaborating with major international institutions and collectors. Tiwani has placed artists’ works in renowned museums such as Tate Modern, MoMA, and the Pompidou Centre, reinforcing its commitment to advancing their careers on a global scale.
Tiwani Contemporary is a leading gallery dedicated to showcasing artists from Africa and its diaspora, fostering global dialogue on experience and belonging. Founded in London in 2011 by Maria Varnava with guidance from curator Bisi Silva, the gallery expanded to Lagos in 2022 and Mayfair, London, in 2023. It presents emerging and established artists across its two locations, collaborating with major international institutions and collectors. Tiwani has placed artists’ works in renowned museums such as Tate Modern, MoMA, and the Pompidou Centre, reinforcing its commitment to advancing their careers on a global scale.
Tiwani Contemporary is a leading gallery dedicated to showcasing artists from Africa and its diaspora, fostering global dialogue on experience and belonging. Founded in London in 2011 by Maria Varnava with guidance from curator Bisi Silva, the gallery expanded to Lagos in 2022 and Mayfair, London, in 2023. It presents emerging and established artists across its two locations, collaborating with major international institutions and collectors. Tiwani has placed artists’ works in renowned museums such as Tate Modern, MoMA, and the Pompidou Centre, reinforcing its commitment to advancing their careers on a global scale.
Tiwani Contemporary is a leading gallery dedicated to showcasing artists from Africa and its diaspora, fostering global dialogue on experience and belonging. Founded in London in 2011 by Maria Varnava with guidance from curator Bisi Silva, the gallery expanded to Lagos in 2022 and Mayfair, London, in 2023. It presents emerging and established artists across its two locations, collaborating with major international institutions and collectors. Tiwani has placed artists’ works in renowned museums such as Tate Modern, MoMA, and the Pompidou Centre, reinforcing its commitment to advancing their careers on a global scale.
Address: 13 Elsie Femi Pearse Street, Victoria Island, Lagos
Address: 13 Elsie Femi Pearse Street, Victoria Island, Lagos
Address: 13 Elsie Femi Pearse Street, Victoria Island, Lagos



The gallery was founded in London in 2011 by Maria Varnava, a Greek Cypriot who grew up in Lagos, with the guidance of her friend and mentor, the internationally renowned Nigerian curator Bisi Silva (1962-2019). Silva proposed the name Tiwani, which loosely translates as “ours” or “it belongs to us” from the Yoruba language, as a distillation of the gallery’s intentions to strive for inclusivity and attend to the particular meanings and circumstances of the work of individual artists.
The gallery was founded in London in 2011 by Maria Varnava, a Greek Cypriot who grew up in Lagos, with the guidance of her friend and mentor, the internationally renowned Nigerian curator Bisi Silva (1962-2019). Silva proposed the name Tiwani, which loosely translates as “ours” or “it belongs to us” from the Yoruba language, as a distillation of the gallery’s intentions to strive for inclusivity and attend to the particular meanings and circumstances of the work of individual artists.
The gallery was founded in London in 2011 by Maria Varnava, a Greek Cypriot who grew up in Lagos, with the guidance of her friend and mentor, the internationally renowned Nigerian curator Bisi Silva (1962-2019). Silva proposed the name Tiwani, which loosely translates as “ours” or “it belongs to us” from the Yoruba language, as a distillation of the gallery’s intentions to strive for inclusivity and attend to the particular meanings and circumstances of the work of individual artists.



