ART X Lagos is an art fair in Lagos, Nigeria. It is the leading international art fair in West Africa, founded and launched in 2016, and seven editions have been held so far. The eighth edition of the fair will be held from 2 to 5 November 2023.
Founding and character
ART X Lagos was created in 2016 by Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, a Nigerian entrepreneur and art collector, to showcase and support the breadth of contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora. It draws local patrons and a host of international collectors, curators, and critics annually.
ART X Lagos is usually a four-day affair, featuring art galleries in Africa and the Diaspora showcasing established as well as emerging artists. The fair also includes a talks programme, ART X Talks, featuring local and international speakers, as well as special projects to engage its varied audiences, and live art and music performances at ART X Live!.
In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ART X Lagos was held as an online art fair. ART X Lagos returned with a physical fair in 2021, the first in-person fair in Africa since the pandemic struck. The eighth edition of ART X Lagos will hold from 2 to 5 November 2023 in Lagos, Nigeria.
First edition
The first edition of ART X Lagos was held from 4 to 6 November 2016. It showcased contemporary art by more than 60 established and emerging artists with participating galleries from 10 countries in Africa, including Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana and Mali, and was artistically directed by Bisi Silva. The debut fair welcomed thousands of visitors from around Nigeria and the world.
Notable artists who exhibited at the first edition include William Kentridge, Barthelemy Togou, Sokari Douglas-Camp, Ghana Amer, Victor Ehikhamenor, Gerald Chukwuma, Amadou Sanogo, Owusu Ankomah, Jeremiah Quarshie, and Obiageli Okigbo among others. Speakers at ART X Talks included El Anatsui, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Prince Yemisi Shyllon, and Zoé Whitley.
Second edition
The second edition was held from 3 to 5 November 2017 and welcomed thousands of visitors to see the works of artists from more than 15 countries across Africa.
The fair featured galleries from Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, Senegal, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mali and the United Kingdom. Notable artists included Yinka Shonibare (MBE), Zanele Muholi, Modupeola Fadugba, Nandipha Mntambo, Virginia Chihota, Boris Nzebo, Babatunde Olatunji, Pamela Phatsimo Sunstrum, Portia Zvavahera and Lakin Ogunbanwo among others.
The fair also included special project exhibitions by solo artists, curated by Missla Libsekal, notable among which was an exhibition of seven life-sized wooden sculptures by Nigeria's pioneer modernist Ben Enwonwu, to commemorate his centenary. Speakers at ART X Talks included Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Lemi Ghariokwu, Peju Alatise, Stacy Hardy and Wura-Natasha Ogunji.
Third edition
The third edition was held from 2 to 4 November 2018, once again welcoming visitors from across the globe, with works showcased from 18 countries. For the first time, the fair featured East African artists and exhibitors, from countries such as Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia.
A key highlight of the 2018 fair was a special exhibition by Yinka Shonibare CBE, exploring his career highlights, curated by Missla Libsekal. Ben Enwonwu's masterpiece "Tutu" (1974), the highest selling African artwork at auction at the time, was also exhibited at the fair, its first public showcase in Lagos in more than 40 years.
Other notable artists included Cyrus Kabiru, Sokari Douglas Camp CBE, Zanele Muholi, Paul Onditi, Victor Butler, Nike Davies-Okundaye, Tadesse Mesfin, and Aboudia, among others.
Speakers at ART X Talks, included Yinka Shonibare CBE, Chika Okeke-Agulu, Aboubakar Fofana, Peju Layiwola, HRM Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, and Meskerem Assegued.
Fourth edition
The fourth edition was held from 1 to 3 November 2019, and welcomed visitors from across the world, with more than 90 artists exhibited from 25 countries. The 2019 edition saw the introduction of ART X Modern, a section of the fair dedicated to pioneers of African modern art from the mid-20th century, as well as a Performance Pavilion, featuring three performance works over the weekend.
A key highlight of the 2019 fair was ART X Talks, which featured a keynote address from Wangechi Mutu. Other notable speakers included Emeka Ogboh, N'Goné Fall, Kathryn Weir, Joel Benson and Reni Folawiyo.
Yusuf Grillo, Ablade Glover, Joy Labinjo, Sam Nhlengethwa, Nelson Makamo, Titza Berhanu, Jems Koko Bi, Demas Nwoko, Lady Skollie, and Uche Okeke were among the notable artists exhibited in this edition.