Looty, a Nigerian art company, has created a way for Africans to view all of the art that the continent lost during the colonial era.
Chidi, a 34-year-old Nigerian creative designer and the creator of Looty, said that the firm first locates African art in museums across the world, then scans and converts the art into 3D forms using specific software and technology.
While this process seems simple, Chidi, who declined to reveal his surname so that people might concentrate on Looty’s work, claimed that it is not.
On May 13, the Looty website will go online. The project, however, officially began operations in November of last year. Chidi works with two Nigerians and a Somali to research and scan prospective art items. Each member of the team is an expert in 3D design, NFT technology, or editing.
Each member has already visited museums in the United Kingdom and France to capture the artwork. Since the project’s inception last year, team members have digitally recreated around 25 African art pieces. Among them are the famous Benin Bronzes, which formerly adorned the royal palace of the kingdom of Benin, now Nigeria.
Chidi said that he was inspired to create Looty after reading about non-fungible tokens (NFTs). At the same time, there was a lot of debate about European colonists stealing African art. As a result, he resolved to take action on both issues, resulting in the creation of the platform.
Chidi stated why he chose the name Looty, despite its association with looting. He named the platform after Looty, a dog that Captain John Hart Dunne gave to Queen Victoria in 1860. Looty was reportedly captured during the Second Opium War when the British deposed a reigning prince in Peking, now Beijing.
