Jonathan Adeyemi

Dr Jonathan Adeyemi holds a BA (Hons.) in Fine Arts, MBA (Marketing Management), MA African Studies (Art History) and PhD in Arts Management and Cultural Policy from Queen’s University Belfast, United Kingdom. He is the author of Contemporary Art from Nigeria in the global markets: Trending in the margins, in the Palgrave Macmillan Sociology of the arts series. With a paper titled Power dynamics in the art world: Navigating alternative systems, he won the 2021 PhD Research Award of the Sociology of Arts Network (RN 02), European Sociological Association (ESA). He was an Associate Lecturer in Arts Management and Cultural Policy at Queen’s University Belfast, United Kingdom, and between 2009 and 2022, he coordinated the creative arts educational assessment curriculum for The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) in Anglophone West Africa.

Dr Adeyemi’s research, which evolved into the book "Contemporary Art from Nigeria in the Global Markets: Trending in the Margins" published in the Palgrave Macmillan Sociology of the Arts series in 2022, focuses primarily on using the physical market for contemporary art from Nigeria to investigate the dynamics of internationalization and power relationships in global art markets. This has shaped his research interests into areas such as the impact of state policies on art ecosystems, art market development, and international systems of art validation and valuation. He has also explored how issues around transcultural influences and fluctuating notions of authenticity impact global modernism, decolonization, and art market diversity. Theoretically, his research has investigated the relevance of exogenous models in local art markets. Thus, Adeyemi’s current research builds on these to examine the trends in the global online circulation of a wider African art in and from London and its capacity to shape global cultural exchange. Situated at the intersection of the sociology of art markets, postcolonialism, and cultural economics, this research investigates the capacity of London to stimulate cultural and economic exchange through digital intermediation and sales of African art. His previous research demonstrated that due to its colonial history and global financial infrastructure, London has become the main hub of international exchange of African art. Through interviews, analysis of art market databases, and demographic and network analysis, this research sheds new light on the role of digital technology in the global exchange and circulation of African art in and from London. This will help in (1) identifying key trends influencing international art market dynamics by mapping and analyzing networks of African art market agents and other intermediaries in London. (2) Uncovering the value of online sales of African art in and from London. (3) Investigating the factors shaping online mediation and communication strategies for African art in selected galleries and auction houses in London. Concerning the legacies of colonialism, the research will also help in (4) understanding what epistemic cultures about African art are being produced by these market activities and how they (re)shape the London art world. Addressing issues of diversity and decolonization, the research fills a gap in the economics and sociology of art markets by revealing trends in the international circulation and valuation of African art as well as its role in digital economies

• Adeyemi, J. (2022). Contemporary Art from Nigeria in the Global Markets: Trending in the Margins, Palgrave Macmillan.
• Adeyemi, J. (2023). Oasis in the Desert: Evolution of the Market for Contemporary Art in Nigeria. In Duarte, A. and Pérez-Ibañez, M (eds.) The Art Market and the Global South. Studies in the History of Collecting & Art Markets, Volume: 18, Leiden: Brill Publishers.
• Adeyemi, J. (2022). Systematization of Art in Nigeria. In Cuyler, A. C (Ed.) Arts Management, Cultural Policy & the African diaspora. Palgrave Macmillan.
• Adeyemi, J. (2023). Contemporary Art from Nigeria in the Global Markets: Trending in the Margins. A podcast for the New Book Network hosted by Dave O'Brien, Professor of Cultural and Creative Industries, at the University of Manchester, UK, May 21.
• Adeyemi, J. (2021). Review of The Sociology of Arts and Markets: New Developments and Persistent Patterns by A. Glauser, P. Holder, T. Mazzurana, O. Moeschler, V. Rolle, and F. Schultheis. Irish Journal of Arts Management and Cultural Policy, Vol. 9, p. 118 – 127.
• Adeyemi, J. (2024). Nigeria’s Financial Sector Liberalization: An Implicit Cultural Policy for Art Market Development, The Journal of Arts Management, Law, and Society, Vol. 54, Issue 2, pp 69-94.
• Adeyemi, J. (2024). Cultural Diplomacy, Soft Power and Symbolic Assets: Nigeria’s · Venice Biennale Flaws and Deprivations, Letture Lente- AgenziaCult, Roma, Italy. August 3. https://www.agenziacult.it/letture-lente/politiche-per-la-cultura/cultural-diplomacy-soft-power-and-symbolic-assets-nigerias-venice-biennale-flaws-and- deprivations/
• Adeyemi, J. (2024). The imperative of a functional policy for the Nigerian creative and cultural economy. The Guardian Newspapers, April 13. https://guardian.ng/features/the-imperative-of-a-functional-policy-for-the-nigerian-creative-and-cultural-economy/