The duo of Nigeria’s Adenrele Sonariwo, a Curator, and New York–based fashion designer, Chuks Collins, will this week delight viewers with stories of their successful careers on African Voices Changemakers, Cable News Network (CNN) magazine programme sponsored by telecommunications company, Globacom.
Sonariwo established Rele Arts Gallery in 2010 when she returned to Nigeria. Earlier, she studied at Howard University, where she obtained her first degree in Accounting. She also got a certificate in Curating Contemporary Art Exhibitions from the University of the Arts, London. Rele Gallery with office in Onikan, Lagos is the first African contemporary art gallery to establish an outpost in Los Angeles.
Within a short period Sonariwo distinguished herself as a top Curator, and by 2016, she won Future Awards for Arts and Culture, while between 2016 and 2017, she was also on the list of Power influencers in culture, in addition to being among 100 Most Inspiring Women in Nigeria. In 2017, Sonariwo became the lead curator of the first Nigerian pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale.
A princess from Remo in Ogun State, Nigeria, Sonariwo, who was also a member of the jury at the 2018 edition of Dak’art Biennale, has shared knowledge at TEDx events.
The second guest, Chuks Collins is a New-York-based fashion designer. A graduate of Accounting, Chuks once worked with Nigeria’s national telecommunication company, Globacom. His designs have appeared on the runways of New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Atlanta International Fashion week and Nigeria Fashion Weeks.
He produced a 70-piece collection of dresses that were displayed during the Miss Intercontinental Pageant in Germany and has styled for print and television as well as costume designer for Hollywood films.
In 2012, he survived a bad accident and a terrifying kidney issue. After a successful kidney transplant, he returned back to the fashion world with three top collections, including ‘Survival’, ‘The Journey’ and ‘The Dream’.
Chuks has also designed for different fashion labels in Belarus and Canada as well as Ralph Lauren and other top fashion houses in New York.
The fashion and art icons will chart their trajectories to stardom in a new edition of the programme which comes up onCNN (DSTV Channel 401) on Saturday at 9.30 a.m. Repeats of the programme will be beamed on Sunday at 7.30 a.m., 12.30 p.m., 7.30 p.m., 11.30 p.m. and on Monday at 5.30 a.m.
