SMO Contemporary Art
SMO Contemporary Art is a Lagos-based art gallery and curatorial platform showcasing modern and contemporary African art. Founded by Sandra Mbanefo Obiago, it serves private collectors, corporate/hospitality clients, and cultural institutions through exhibitions, international art fairs, and advisory services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersLagos, Nigeria
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What SMO Contemporary Art does
SMO Contemporary Art is a Lagos-based art gallery and curatorial platform specializing in modern and contemporary art from Africa and the African Diaspora. Founded by Sandra Mbanefo Obiago, the company operates from a physical exhibition space at ARAMI in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, and maintains a parallel presence on the Artsy online marketplace with over 1,500 followers. The company represents a portfolio of artists across multiple generations and geographies, with documented exhibition catalogues spanning 2011 to 2026, indicating sustained 15-year operational continuity.
The business serves three primary customer segments: private collectors acquiring works at retail or fair prices, corporate and hospitality clients (notably Wheatbaker Hotel and ARAMI venue), and institutional/museum clients (including Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art). SMO has curated exhibitions in Lagos and participated in international art fairs including Africa Basel in Basel, Switzerland, and Art X Lagos across multiple years (2023, 2025, with 2026 events confirmed). External funding includes a Prince Claus Seed Award supporting the Christopher Samuel Idowu community initiative, indicating grant-eligible programming beyond pure commercial sales.
Revenue is generated through three streams: transactional commissions on artwork sales, professional art advisory and collection management services, and exhibition/event curation fees. The distribution model combines an exclusive ARAMI physical space, the Artsy online marketplace, international art fair booths, and direct collector engagement. The company is privately held with approximately 5 employees. No proprietary technology, AI capabilities, or scaled digital infrastructure is evident; the underlying platform is Artlogic (standard gallery CMS), and the value proposition rests on curatorial expertise, artist relationships, and institutional access rather than technology differentiation.
SMO Contemporary Art firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SMO Contemporary Art
- Legal name
- SMO Contemporary Art
- Website
- https://smocontemporaryart.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- SMO Contemporary Art is a Lagos-based art gallery and curatorial platform showcasing modern and contemporary African art. Founded by Sandra Mbanefo Obiago, it serves private collectors, corporate/hospitality clients, and cultural institutions through exhibitions, international art fairs, and advisory services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SMO Contemporary Art industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Art Gallery Services
- NAICS
- Art Dealers (459920)
- SIC
- Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit) (THAJADAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Art, Photography & Illustrated Books Publishing (MPAJAAAF)
Keywords
Where SMO Contemporary Art is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Lagos
- HQ country
- Nigeria
- HQ region
- Africa
Offices2 records
Markets served
SMO Contemporary Art business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Art Sales and Commissions: SMO Contemporary sells artworks from its represented artists and earns commissions on sales. The gallery showcases modern and contemporary African art to a global audience.
- Art Advisory Services: SMO provides specialized art advisory services including curating and managing private and corporate art collections with commitment to documentation, preservation, and communication.
- Exhibition and Event Curation: SMO curates private and public creative events at international venues, and showcases art at local and international art fairs, generating revenue through event-based engagements.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Artwork sales handled via direct inquiry |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
SMO Contemporary Art product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SMO Contemporary Art is an international art platform and gallery that sells modern and contemporary African and diaspora artworks through direct enquiry and the Artsy online marketplace, while providing art advisory and collection management services to private collectors, corporations, and hospitality venues. The gallery curates exhibitions at its primary ARAMI space in Lagos and at international art fairs, and represents a portfolio of leading and emerging African artists across painting, sculpture, photography, textile, and mixed media.
Product overview
SMO Contemporary Art is an international art platform and gallery based in Lagos, Nigeria, that showcases modern and contemporary art from Africa and the Diaspora. The company operates as an art gallery and curatorial platform rather than a technology product company. Its core offerings include: (1) Curating and managing exhibitions at diverse gallery spaces, including unconventional venues affiliated with design, fashion, and hospitality; (2) Art advisory services including curation and management of private and corporate art collections; (3) Participation in international art fairs; (4) A portfolio of artist representations across painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media, textile, and other mediums. The platform showcases works by artists from Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Cameroon, South Africa, United States, France, Switzerland, and other countries, with exhibitions hosted at venues like ARAMI in Lagos. The company also publishes catalogues and supports community art initiatives.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Art Sales and Commissions Direct sale of artworks from SMO's represented artists through gallery enquiry and the Artsy online marketplace, with the gallery earning commissions on transactions. Showcases modern and contemporary African and diaspora art to a global audience of collectors.
- Art Advisory Services Specialized art advisory including curating and managing private and corporate art collections, with commitment to documentation, preservation, and communication. Serves high-net-worth collectors, corporate clients, and institutions.
- Exhibition and Event Curation Curating private and public creative events at international venues, and showcasing art at local and international art fairs. Includes themed exhibitions featuring represented artists at SMO's ARAMI space and partner venues.
- Online Viewing Room Online viewing room on the SMO website enabling collectors globally to browse and enquire about artworks, with exhibition catalogue PDFs available for download.
- Community Art Initiatives Community-initiated art projects such as 'Diary of a Sojourner: A Memory Box Between Spaces' in partnership with Christopher Samuel Idowu, fostering cultural exchange, social engagement, and collective storytelling across Nigerian communities.
Companies that use SMO Contemporary Art
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
SMO Contemporary Art technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
SMO Contemporary Art partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art, Pan-Atlantic UniversitycoreSMO Contemporary, in partnership with the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art, presents 'Chika Okeke-Agulu: Freedom Bird' — the first major survey of the artist's practice spanning 30+ years. Curated by Iheanyi Onwuegbucha with associate curator Sandra Mbanefo Obiago, the exhibition runs November 1, 2026–January 31, 2027 at Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art, Pan-Atlantic University, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos.
- Moffat TakadiwaminorSMO's Founder Sandra Mbanefo Obiago joined internationally acclaimed Zimbabwean artist Moffat Takadiwa at the second Africa Basel Art Fair in Basel, Switzerland to discuss Takadiwa's groundbreaking work transforming discarded post-consumer materials into large-scale sculptures.
- ARAMIcoreSMO curates the walls of ARAMI, a fine dining rooftop venue in Lekki Phase 1, Lagos, as part of its vision to place art in non-traditional spaces. The partnership resulted in 'Celebration' (April 2026), an exhibition featuring 15 African artists from Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Cameroon, South Africa, the US, France, and Switzerland, exploring creativity across diverse mediums.
- Christopher Samuel IdowucoreSMO supported Christopher Samuel Idowu on 'Diary of a Sojourner: A Memory Box Between Spaces' — a community-centred art project demonstrating transformative power of artistic collaboration, cultural exchange, and collective storytelling. The project was rooted in Benue State and expanded to connect communities in Badagry and Benue through drawing, painting, printmaking, papermaking, storytelling, sound, video, installation, and performance. Supported by the Prince Claus Seed Award.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
SMO Contemporary Art competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Artsy: Global online marketplace on which SMO runs its gallery storefront. Functions as enabling distribution infrastructure rather than a direct competitor, but increasingly shapes discovery and price discovery for the collectors SMO targets.
Broad incumbents
- October Gallery: Long-established London gallery with a broader international program but a significant contemporary African and African-diaspora roster. Competes for the same diaspora and institutional collector segments as SMO.
Direct peers
- Goodman Gallery: Johannesburg/Cape Town/London gallery representing leading contemporary African artists including major figures of the continent's canon. Overlaps SMO in represented-artist category, collector base, and international fair circuit.
- Afriart Gallery: Kampala-based contemporary African art gallery representing emerging and established East African artists. Comparable business model and participation in African-focused international art fairs.
- Tiwani Contemporary: London-based gallery with strong West African (notably Nigerian) artist representation and a curatorial focus that closely aligns with SMO's positioning on the African contemporary canon.
- Addis Fine Art: London/Addis Ababa gallery specializing in contemporary African art with a comparable advisory and exhibition-led business model. Targets the same international collector audience as SMO.
- Arthouse Contemporary: Lagos-based gallery representing modern and contemporary African artists with international fair participation. Closely comparable niche, customer base, and exhibition-led GTM motion to SMO.
- Rele Gallery: Lagos-based contemporary African art gallery with a similar curatorial focus and artist-representation model. Operates physical and online sales channels targeting both local HNW collectors and international buyers, directly competing with SMO for West African contemporary talent.
- Gallery 1957: Accra-based contemporary African art gallery with multi-space operations and strong participation in international fairs such as Art X Lagos and 1-54. Comparable scale, curatorial positioning, and HNW-collector focus.
Regional players
- Art X Lagos: Lagos-based international art fair where SMO is a recurring exhibitor. Functions as a peer channel/ecosystem participant, shaping the same West African contemporary-art market in which SMO operates.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
SMO Contemporary Art social profiles
Digital presenceSMO Contemporary Art financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SMO Contemporary Art leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
SMO Contemporary Art funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SMO Contemporary Art M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about SMO Contemporary Art
What does SMO Contemporary Art do?
SMO Contemporary Art is an international art platform and gallery that sells modern and contemporary African and diaspora artworks through direct enquiry and the Artsy online marketplace, while providing art advisory and collection management services to private collectors, corporations, and hospitality venues. The gallery curates exhibitions at its primary ARAMI space in Lagos and at international art fairs, and represents a portfolio of leading and emerging African artists across painting, sculpture, photography, textile, and mixed media.
Is SMO Contemporary Art a public or private company?
SMO Contemporary Art is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was SMO Contemporary Art founded?
SMO Contemporary Art was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is SMO Contemporary Art based?
SMO Contemporary Art is headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria, in the Africa region.
How does SMO Contemporary Art make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Art Sales and Commissions are the primary driver. The others are art Advisory Services and exhibition and Event Curation.
Who are SMO Contemporary Art's main competitors?
Artsy is listed as an others. October Gallery is listed as a broad incumbent. Direct peers are Goodman Gallery, Afriart Gallery, Tiwani Contemporary, Addis Fine Art, Arthouse Contemporary, Rele Gallery and Gallery 1957. Art X Lagos is listed as a regional player.
Does SMO Contemporary Art have an API?
No public API is recorded for SMO Contemporary Art.
What industry is SMO Contemporary Art in?
SMO Contemporary Art's product category is Art Gallery Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJADAH, Art Galleries & Exhibition Spaces (Commercial & Nonprofit), with a secondary code of MPAJAAAF, Art, Photography & Illustrated Books Publishing. Its NAICS code is 459920 and its SIC code is 7330.