A Rest Guide for a Tired Nigerian Artist

Travel. Cook and eat. Dance—preferably naked. Drink the rain. Talk to other artists. Or avoid other artists. These are some examples of the advice from five Nigerian artists on how to find peace in a troubled world. They each deliver ten tips in a Rest Guide, an illustrated, printed guidebook. In podcasts, the artists discuss their lives and art practices.

Nigerian artist Rahima Gambo started her conceptual narrative blog Tired Nigerian Artist in 2020. The experimental online diary quickly grew into a meeting point for like-minded people, a place to reflect collectively on everything that tires Nigerian artists—from lockdowns to police brutality and a lax government that dismisses art as “non-essential.”

The Rest Guide series that the collective is now publishing is the first step in an exploration of what happens when we shift attention from the artwork to the people for whom art is their work.

Project supported by DocLab R&D Program