Une Femme Savante
I was around her quite a bit over the past 15 years, as her cousin, friend and lawyer. It is so gutting to lose her untimely but that bitter sweet tincture, which is all pervading after her death, is the legacy and emollient she left behind. Iconic, brilliant, unconventional (to the uninitiated), sanguine, generous, fun to be with and empathetic always, Bisi Silva.
We did so much together from the setting up of Centre for Contemporary Art (CCA), Lagos in 2007 to Art X Lagos in 2017 and more. Bisi examined all legal documents with a fine tooth comb and had so much to contribute with her analytic and sharp mind. She would make her point in an undeniably peremptory fashion,
“That is what I want o.”
She would often bring along a very Parisian pear tartlet purchased on the way to my house and we would share it in half with cups of tea, kidding ourselves that by sharing, we were watching our weight!
How many people have set up an independent specialist art centre of excellence and an art library? Bisi did this and did it with aplomb. CCA Lagos was a Project she loved and it is up to us all to continue that Project for the betterment of the community and art in the world at large. I visited the CCA Library many times and was often surprised to see art students utilizing its vast resources in an age when local libraries are not frequented much in Nigeria. She had great relationships with her peers and all her staff, both at work and at home.
Bisi was at one with nature and was fond of watching the National Geographic television channel. She loved the African continent, promoting its beautiful rich art and culture and traversing over half its expanse, dreaming of visiting the unexplored places, which sadly she could not make. Hmmm.
Legal jokes were often interspersed with art jokes. I constantly subjected her to a free curating of my street art, sometimes she would say good but a few times she would not hesitate to say “rubbish!”. Bisi was plain-speaking and a trail blazer in art curating in Nigeria, Africa and internationally. She was grand in the scheme of things. She was a truly learned lady. I could not resist the allure and excitement of the arts; I became an art ‘groupie’ schooled and nurtured by an aficionado!
My lovely and true, femme savante, adieu.
Rest In Peace!
Sade Doherty