Journal · 2026-10-05
53 works, 35 artists, two hours: what happened at AMIAF 2026 in Abuja
At the Artmiabo International Art Festival in Abuja, 35 Nigerian artists sealed 53 works in two hours, each with a public, checkable record of who made it.
On 30 September 2026, at the FCT Exhibition Pavilion in Garki, Abuja, the Artmiabo International Art Festival (AMIAF 2026) tried something new. Instead of a talk about the future of art, the room did it: every artist photographed a work on their phone and sealed it, in about a minute each.
By the end of the session, 35 artists had sealed 53 works. Each one now has three words and a code that anyone in the world can check in about ten seconds, a one-page record of authorship, and a page where buyers can collect it.
Why sealing matters now
AI can now copy any artist's style in seconds. In a live game during the festival, the room was shown a real painting by Art Miabo beside an AI imitation and asked to pick the real one. 24 of 30 people, 80%, got it right. People can still tell, and they care. But buyers abroad can't stand in the room, so they need a way to check who made a work, and when.
A seal is a dated public record, made by the artist and locked so it can't be quietly changed. It doesn't replace an artist's documents, but it gives every work a checkable link to the person who made it.
What artists asked
All three questions the room sent in were about the same thing: how to sell, and how to find buyers. So that's what comes next. Sealed works are listed for sale on their own pages, priced in naira, dollars and pounds, and the artist is paid directly when a buyer pays.
Some of the works sealed that day
₦850,000 $639
I built thick, scraped layers to render a woven basket and five silver fish, catching afternoon light and the patient hands that sort a day's market catch.Collect it →
₦850,000 $639
Regardless of or our skin color or the disability of the skin, either albino, vitiligo, dark skin, we all need to love ourselves and fancy up our beautyCollect it →
₦1,300,000 $977
Identity can contain more than one story, memories, influences and histories simultaneously. This piece explores this complexity. Constructed around contrast and coexistence. Diffe…Collect it →
₦1,700,000 $1,278
This piece explores how the people around us shape who we become. The two forms are separate, but they are also moving towards each other. To me, they represent human connection.…Collect it →
₦200,000 $150
I stacked thrown terracotta vessels into a leaning totem, their punched holes and incised patterns catching the rain light and grounding the street with earthy calm.Collect it →
₦700,000 $526
I made a small reclining animal on a carved log, its dark patina and rough texture holding a quiet watchfulness that asks you to lean in and remember slow afternoons.Collect it →
See every work from the festival in the collection.