Nigerian startup Creatives Auction is a technology-driven platform that provides an online marketplace for emerging-to-mid-career African artists to sell their work more easily, to both local and international art collectors.
Launched January 2022, Creatives Auction is “driven by a deep commitment to empower African visual artists”, says Priscilla Asonibare, the startup’s founder and CEO, aiming to elevate their impact on the global creative economy.
Currently contributing less than one per cent to the US$4.2 trillion global creative industry, Africa holds substantial untapped potential. Despite this, many visual artists on the continent are often perceived as mere hobbyists, Asonibare said, lacking the support needed to forge sustainable careers.
“Our mission is to challenge this narrative, creating pathways for future generations of visual artists to thrive and build sustainable careers in the creative industry,” she said.
The inception of Creatives Auction is deeply rooted in Asonibare’s personal journey, and passion for the arts.
“Growing up, I was captivated by painting, drawing, and creating with my hands, aspiring to follow in the footsteps of iconic artists like Frida Kahlo. However, years down the line, I realised how challenging the career of being an artist in Africa is, and how it is often unprofitable for many,” she said.
“This realisation sparked a passion within me to change the narrative and create a platform that would empower African artists to build thriving careers from their creations.”
Creatives Auction, then, identified a gap in the lack of support and visibility for many emerging African visual artists.
“Despite Africa’s rich cultural heritage and artistic talent, many emerging artists struggle to find platforms that allow them to reach both local and international buyers. Traditional galleries and auction houses often focus on established and in-demand artists and overlook the numerous emerging talent from the continent, limiting their access to the global market and an opportunity to build sustainable careers,” said Asonibare.
“Our goal at Creatives Auction is to fill this void by working directly with emerging African artists and providing a user-friendly online marketplace that connects artists directly with collectors worldwide.”
Competition-wise, there are some established online art platforms that serve a global audience, but very few focus exclusively on emerging African artists.
“Our unique value proposition is our deep understanding of the African art scene and our commitment to showcasing and supporting local talent. This gives us a competitive edge in both the local and international markets,” she said.
Creatives Auction has been primarily self-funded, with additional support from competitions and micro-grants it has won in the past, but has seen what Asonibare calls “promising: uptake.
“Since our launch, we’ve seen a steady increase in the number of artists joining our platform and listing their works. Our user base is growing, with international collectors showing a keen interest in African art and purchasing pieces from our marketplace,” she said. “The positive feedback from the community and the increasing number of transactions on our platform proves to us that we are addressing a real need in the market.”
Currently, Creatives Auction operates primarily from Nigeria.
“However, we work with emerging artists from across the African continent and already have artists from South Africa, Kenya, Ghana, Morocco, Rwanda, DR Congo, Uganda, Cameroon, Malawi, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia on our platform,” Asonibare said.
“We have ambitious expansion plans. One of our goals is to extend our operations and establish a stronger presence in major global art hubs such as New York, London, and Paris. This will help us further our mission of bringing African art to a global audience and providing more opportunities for our artists.”
Creatives Auction’s primary revenue stream comes from commission fees on sales made through its platform. It also offers tiered subscription-based access to its marketplace for artists which generate additional income.
“We are still in the early stages of growth and traction which means we have some slower months, especially given the current global economic situation. However, we continue to innovate and diversify our income streams as needed,” said Asonibare.
So what challenges has the startup faced?
“One of the main difficulties has been building trust within the artist community, which has often been underserved or exploited by existing platforms. It took time to demonstrate our commitment to their success and earn their confidence and we now have a strong growing community on Instagram and across our other platforms,” said Asonibare.
“Another challenge has been raising awareness and educating collectors/art enthusiasts about the value and uniqueness of collecting African art – especially collecting through our platform. There is also the trust factor at play here. However, we are leveraging high-quality content about the African art market to build a collector audience that trusts our brand and supports the artists on our platform.”
Yet the challenges Creatives Auction has faced have “only strengthened our resolve, and underscore the importance of our mission”, said Asonibare.
“With each difficult situation, we learn and grow, continually refining our approach to better serve our community,” she said.
