The Design Institute Opens in Lagos, Nigeria, An Exhibition across Casa Mouda’s Two Newly Conceived Spaces, Featuring New and Important Works From Africa
Spanning two new spaces in Lagos – aiMe Gallery and aiMe Concept, one renovated in collaboration with Papa Omotayo, and the other designed with Gemma Sfeir and Nifemi Marcus-Bello - the exhibition positions West Africa as a central force in international design
The Design Institute features icons of contemporary African design alongside figures from the diaspora producing on the continent, including Germane Barnes, Hajar Daide, Hall Haus, Nifemi Marcus-Bello, Jean Servais Somian, and Marie-Paule Tano
LAGOS, NIGERIA (November 3, 2026) — Today, Casa Mouda, a new creative studio focused on contemporary design, opens The Design Institute to the public in Lagos, Nigeria— an inaugural activation exploring the evolution and future of collectible design produced in West Africa. Presented across Casa Mouda’s two spaces, which are being unveiled with the opening of the exhibition — aiMe Gallery at Eko Hotel and aiMe Concept on Eko Atlantic — The Design Institute introduces Casa Mouda's mission to foster creative exchange, support design innovation, and bridge Lagosian and international communities through cultural programming, retail, hospitality, and design commissions.
Founded by art and design entrepreneur Caline Chagoury Moudaber, Casa Mouda grew out of Art Twenty One, the Lagos art space she founded in 2013, now reimagined as aiMe Gallery. Inspired by the context of Lagos — its making culture, its pace, its refusal of convention — Casa Mouda engages audiences locally and internationally through design-led exhibitions, pop-ups, spaces, and experimental initiatives that bring narrative, heritage, and intentionality to experiences, repositioning Africa at the center of the global design conversation.
The Design Institute, Casa Mouda’s first exhibition, positions Africa as a powerful force in design, celebrating a multigenerational constellation of designers whose practices fuse tradition with experimentation, craftsmanship with innovation. The exhibition centers around a core mission of Casa Mouda – to remove barriers to production, exhibition, and export of high-quality design produced in West Africa, and to help nourish a dynamic creative economy growing on the continent.
The Design Institute brings together a group of designers whose practices span generations and geographies. The designers include Jean Servais Somian, whose work has shaped the landscape of contemporary African design; Nifemi Marcus-Bello, Marie-Paule Tano, and Hajar Daide, each developing rigorous practices rooted in the continent; and Germane Barnes, an American designer producing new work in Lagos in collaboration with Casa Mouda. Many have mentored and inspired the next wave of African and international design thinkers, reflecting Casa Mouda's commitment to mentorship and material storytelling. The exhibition is presented across both of Casa Mouda's spaces — the refreshed aiMe Gallery, redesigned with consulting from architect Papa Omotayo, and aiMe Concept, designed with Gemma Sfeir and Nifemi Marcus-Bello, the first dedicated space for art and design on Eko Atlantic.
“As we began to conceive our first chapter of Casa Mouda, we knew we needed to start by recognizing some of the people who had already built so much of its foundation. There are incredible designers producing on the continent that have done extraordinary work, often taking on alone what usually takes an entire industry elsewhere. Jean Servais Somian has spent decades creating the infrastructure to make collectible design in West Africa, and he opens his studio to young designers. Hajar Daide and Marie-Paule Tano both came to us through him. Nifemi Marcus-Bello has been quietly doing the legwork to set up real pathways for production for years. They’re committed to the same thing we are: high-quality design made on the continent, with local materials, by talent that can build a career here and show the world what is possible,” noted Chagoury Moudaber. “Getting there has taken research, a lot of trial and error, and a lot of shared knowledge. The designers who have forged the way are sharing information on what they have learned; the ones new to this area of production are bringing new techniques and perspectives. It has been an incredibly collaborative, generous, and inspiring process – and we are only just beginning.”
Spanning furniture, objects, and installations, the works highlight the rigorous labor of building sustainable production ecosystems in Africa and reflect a dedication to reimagining the continent's design narrative. Many of the pieces have been co-developed with Casa Mouda and local manufacturers, marking a new model for supporting production and entrepreneurship within Nigeria’s creative economy. Highlights include:
- New works in bronze and wood by master craftsman Jean Servais Somian, produced between his workshop in Abidjan and Casa Mouda’s workshop in Lagos;
- Nifemi Marcus-Bello’s LM stools and M2 shelves, documenting the development of his practice and the evolution of his production methods on the continent, in addition to new permanent furniture for KoFi at aiMe Concept;
- Lights and sculptures in bronze by jewelry designer Marie-Paule Tano, produced with craftsmen in Grand-Bassam and Abidjan, inspired by the alchemy of metal and Ivorian traditions of storytelling and metalworking;
- Hajar Daide, a protégé of Jean Servais Somian, presents an evolution of her Nucifera collection, producing a bench, screen, and lighting fixture with artisans in Lagos and incorporating fabric from her native Morocco;
- Chairs and a basketball hoop from French design studio and collective Hall Haus, which is producing select lines of its powder-coated metal designs locally in Lagos; and
- American designer Germane Barnes with works produced in Lagos in collaboration with Casa Mouda, including furniture in iroko wood and his take on the peacock chair.
The exhibition is augmented by work by other creative practitioners across the continent, including glass-blown sculptural handbags and a tapestry made from natural fibers from Bubu Ogisi, woven baskets and objects by Baba Tree and People of the Sun, and paintings by Midegbeyanevesho Ojisua, among others.
As visitors enter both spaces, they are greeted by a sensory experience that underscores Casa Mouda’s interdisciplinary approach. Both spaces have a version of Casa Mouda’s KoFi: a cafe experience that celebrates community and culture through the act of sharing an exceptional cup of coffee in a beautifully designed space. With a bar counter at aiMe Gallery and a fuller menu of light fare at aiMe Concept, both experiences prioritize local ingredients, partnering with small businesses in Africa and the Middle East for specialty coffee beans and organic produce, offering a multi-modal experience of culture and inspiration.
In the sonic landscape of aiMe Gallery, custom-designed speakers by Casa Mouda and Malloy James anchor the entryway, filling the space with a soundscape composed by James to set the tone for the project. In aiMe Concept, there is a listening station to experience the piece, which will be available as a limited-edition vinyl record. Layering diverse cultural influences that shape both the design practices and the creation of the space itself, the soundscape will evolve over time—shifting subtly as works are added or removed from the space. This ever-changing auditory environment mirrors the nuanced conversation and collaboration that Casa Mouda represents, positioning sound as both a material and a metaphor for design in motion.
In addition to works, the accompanying Design Institute Boutique offers design-led retail items produced on the continent—home goods that demonstrate the intersection of craftsmanship and industry.
The opening preview program is rounded out by a presentation of wearable art from Bubu Ogisi’s IAMISIGO, activating the space for Lagos Fashion Week. Beyond the inaugural program, Casa Mouda will operate across Lagos and internationally, advising, connecting, creating, and commissioning new work while promoting design produced in Africa in projects and conversations at home and around the world. This will take many forms: consulting on hospitality projects, partnering on pop-ups, activations, interiors, events, and commissioning new works as Casa Mouda editions and lines.
Details on forthcoming projects will follow in the coming months.
Media contact
Sara Griffin
+1-917-656-6348