About Us

Bibianna launched in 2021 with our home fragrance range that celebrates the vibrant history of West African culture by combining visual art with fragrance. Nothing ignites the senses quite like scent, drawing out long lost memories and creating new ones along the way. Our visual candles tell a story of the rich history of the Nigerian culture and heritage. 

       
       




Bibianna has since expanded into the art, craft, fashion and lifestyle spaces. Colour, vibrance and energy! Unique pieces to elevate and inspire conversation both throughout our homes and in our personal style. A big focus for us will be our gallery space, with a great selection of paintings by African artists particularly from Nigeria.

Collecting art has always been a passion for our founder Caroline Forshaw from a young age. She was always drawn to creative spaces where you could lose yourself taking in the visual stories and emotional outlets of other humans. She found herself drawn to and pulled in by beautiful objects and the power of the story telling through individual expression. The craftsmanship and history of  objects and artefacts that tell a story of our rich cultural heritage, the expression in an artists work. In these spaces she realised the emotional impact of surrounding yourself with things to inspire and uplight you.

She was lucky enough to know a kind curator of a gallery she used to visit frequently on weekends to take in their array of dazzling paintings as well as their vast selection of tribal artefacts and home decor. His encouragement and guidance helped her to have the courage to start to invest in pieces to spark joy in her personal space and that was where her passion for collecting art began.

Nigeria has an incredibly dynamic art scene and is a melting pot of incredible talent. It will be a great pleasure to be able to share some of that talent with you, our Bibianna community. Most of our pieces will be one off, all handmade by African artisans and artist. 
       
       
      

We are also excited to announce our partnership with our sister brand Ariaba, an established high-end fashion brand coming out of Lagos, Nigeria. It is quite literally a sister brand too (watch out for our blog piece on this for the full story). This partnership brings you exquisite resort wear and accessories all hand made in Nigeria.

Ariaba is a beautiful expression of the modern Afrocentric woman. Think beautiful colours in gorgeous flowy fabric showcasing iconic Nigerian craftsmanship and style. Handmade leather goods in a selection of skins as well as a gorgeous range of Ashokè bags and mini purses. We will have seasonal drops of certain collections with limited range... meaning you can snap up unique pieces in individual colour ways.

   

Thank you for coming along with us on this journey!

Join Our Bibianna Family

Interested in working with Bibianna? Read through our gallery application guide and get in touch. We would love to hear from you.

Find out more about how to apply in a guide prepared especially for you below.

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Artist Guide

THE FIRST STEP

Bibianna's mission is to give African artists the opportunity to make their works known to a global community of African art lovers and collectors.

Note: If the first contact was made by you, we ask you to fill out the form that is available on our platform or to send us an email with your portfolio and with informing us of your intention to enter. If you are selected, we will contact you and you can send us the information below.

PHOTOGRAPHS OF WORKS OF ART

Please send full photos and details of your pieces.

Please read below for some important tips and information on how to take great quality photos for your artwork.

1. LIGHTING

Color balance and exposure - Room color, temperature, and flash usage can distort color balance, resulting in blues, yellows, and grays when they really should look more like white.
Severe shadows and reflections - Ensure your light source provides uniform colors with no shadows or directional reflections so that attention is not diverted from your piece of art.

ARTWORK INFORMATION

ARTWORK INFORMATION

When submitting your artwork, please provide us with the following information:

1) Title of the artwork.

2) Description of the artwork – you should mention which materials were used to create the work; what type of surface the work was created on; is it a framed or unframed work of art; Do you have any recommendations for framing or installing the work?

3) Date of Creation - When was the artwork created?

4) Dimensions

ARTIST INFORMATION

It is important to have information about our artists, as it is something that customers and collectors ask about, especially when they are interested in one. So this is one more very important item – information about the artist behind the work. Below you will find information and tips on what to send.

BIOGRAPHY

Knowing more about yourself as an artist is very important for art collectors who are thinking about buying your pieces.
Your biography should include information such as:
1.Where you were born and raised;

2.Where do you currently live;
3.Your artistic influences and where you draw inspiration from;
4.The means(s) / technique(s) of choice and why;
5. If you are self-taught or have received formal education/tutorship; 6. Artists with whom he worked;
7. Awards won;
8. Exhibitions in which you participated;
9. Collections (private and public) that include your work.

If questions 7 - 10 dont apply to you, you can leave that out.

ARTIST'S STATEMENT

An Artist Statement is a simple description of your works and why you created them. A statement from a successful artist clearly explains why he develops his work. We recommend that the statement be no longer than 200 words.
Some questions to consider when crafting your artistic statement:

1. What is the subject of my work?
2. What is my job about?
3. How do I do my job?
4. Where do I find the images I use as inspiration?
5. How do I want my audience to respond to my work?
6. How does my work compare to historical or contemporary art?

SOCIAL NETWORKS AND PERSONAL WEBSITE

Share with us your social networks and if you have a website or personal blog, we would also like to have it, so that we can share it on your profile.

EVENTS AND EXHIBITIONS

In order to make your history and agenda known, please share with us the exhibitions where you were present and upcoming, as well as events.

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