H.E. Amb. Maria Oyeyinka Laose poses with Mrs. Nike Davies-Okundaye for photographs whenshe visited her Galery.

OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) is hosting a two week long Exhibition of Nigerian Arts and Culture titled ?Rhythm of Hope? to mark its 37th Anniversary. The exhibition will be on the Parkring, Vienna premises of OFID beginning from January 28, 2013 and to run through February 12, 2013.

The exhibition features the works of three Nigerian artists namely Nike Davies-Okundaye, Kaltume B. Gana, and Uwa James Usen. On display will be a range of paintings from Nike Davies Okundaiye and Kaltume B. Gana and sculptures by Uwa James Usen.

Nike Davies-Okundaiye is a celebrated Nigeria artist known for her works in batik. Her works have been exhibited in Linz, Austria in the past, among other European capitals. Two of her art works adorn the walls at the Smithsonian's in New York. Mrs. Davies Okundaiye has Galeries in several parts of Nigeria which often form part of Government's destinations of choice for the programmes of visiting dignatories. Her Galeries gather art works of Nigerian artists from different cultures and parts of the country, and are indeed a source of pride to the country.

Kaltume B Gana is a younger artist who works in the area of islamic arts, traditional architecture and women issues, and her murals and paintings adorn the walls and of various mosques and institutions in Nigeria.

Uwa James Usen?s presentations in this exhibition are works of art that provide a visual documentation of orchestrated thoughts and designs in 3-dimensional forms with the general theme of the Nigerian Rustic Life.

The Nigeria exhibition is in continuation of an OFID in-house exhibition series begun in 2009 to bring the art and culture of Member and Partner Countries to the community of OFID host city Vienna. In the past, OFID has held exhibitions focusing on Venezuela, Algeria, the Sudan, Iraq, Kenya, Saudi Arabia and Tanzania.