Tayo Aderinokun

“CREATING DIALOGUE BETWEEN WESTERN AND AFRICAN LIFESTYLE, MUSIC, ARTS AND DESIGN”

5th January, 2009: The Prada Foundation (founded 15 years ago) recently launched The Double Club project, conceived by renowned German artist Carsten Höller and supported by Guaranty Trust Bank plc, West Africa’s leading financial institution. The foundation has over the years garnered a reputation in world art circles for presenting the projects of many ambitious artists.
The “Double Club” is an African art and Culture initiative situated near the Angel Tube Station in Islington, North London, UK. It is an installation which consists of three spaces: bar, restaurant and dance club. The restaurant boasts both African and Western menus, while the decor includes outstanding art works from the West (paintings by Carla Accardi, Olle Baertling, a relief by Louise Nevelson, an embroidered map by Alighiero Boetti and a silkscreen on paper by Andy Warhol) and from Congo (the stage dress of the guitarist Luambo Makiadi, a.k.a Franco, and paintings by Cheri Samba and Mosengwo Kejwamfi, a.k.a Moke the Painter).
The Double Club is a non-profit organisation and by partnering with the Prada Foundation and Guaranty Trust Bank, a percentage of the proceeds will go to charity. This is one of the primary reasons for which Guaranty Trust Bankadopted the project.At a series of events to launch this laudable initiative, Miuccia Prada of the Prada luxury label and her husband, Patrizio Bertelli played host to industry leaders from world-class institutions such as JP Morgan, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank, White & Case, Standard Bank of London, Schlumberger and Morgan Stanley.
Segun Agbaje, Deputy Managing Director, Guaranty Trust Bank plc, ace designers Ozwald Boateng, Alexander McQueen and Pat McGrath, awardwinning celebrity make-up artist and global creative design director, Procter and Gamble were all present at the landmark event. GTBank will also be partnering in a cultural programme to be presented during the opening months of The Double Club. A fund-raising event is also scheduled for February 2009, whilst a book and music compilation documenting the various stages of the project will be published by the Prada Foundation.
In partnering with the Prada Foundation, Guaranty Trust Bank plc is further cementing its famed interest in supporting the arts whilst making its mark via its UK banking subsidiary. Mr. Agbaje stated that “in co-sponsoring the Double Club launch, Guaranty Trust Bank has covered a range of its corporate social responsibility goals.” He further stated that the Bank would continually support humanity and the arts, regardless of location, in line with the Bank’s goal to remain a world-class financial institution.

For more information, please visit www.prada.com