ART X Lagos

ART X Lagos is an art fair in Lagos, Nigeria. It is the first international art fair in West Africa, founded and launched in 2016, and six editions have been held so far. The seventh edition of the fair will be held from 4 to 6 November 2022.

Founding and character

ART X Lagos was created in 2016 by Tokini Peterside, a Nigerian entrepreneur, 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 interactive projects to engage its varied audiences, and live art and music performances.

In 2020, ART X Lagos was held as an online-only art fair.

ART X Lagos returned with a physical fair in 2021, the first in-person fair in Africa since the pandemic struck.

The seventh edition will be held from 4 to 6 November 2022 in Lagos, Nigeria, with an extension online till 10 November o
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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 from 10 countries in Africa, including Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana and Mali, and was artistically directed by Bisi Silva. The debut fair welcomed 5,000 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 more than 9,000 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 Libeskal. Ben Enwonwu's masterpiece "Tutu" (1974), the highest selling African artwork at auction, 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.

The fair featured a range of curated projects featuring the work of Emeka Ogboh, curated by Tayo Ogunbiyi, as well as three performance pieces curated by Wura-Natasha Ogungi.

Fifth edition

The fifth edition was held from 2 to 9 December 2020, welcoming guests from 101 countries to a showcase of more than 200 artworks. It was presented as an online-only art fair on the relaunche
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and was bolstered by an extensive virtual programme of 13 events.

The 2020 edition saw the presentation of ''New Nigeria Studios'', an online exhibition that showcased the stories of select photographers, filmmakers and protesters who took to the streets of Nigeria in October 2020, as well as ART X Review - The Wrap Up with Njideka Akunyili Crosby, a masterclass for emerging artists discussing the growth, place and potential of the artist in today's world.

A key highlight of the 2020 fair was ART X Talks, which featured critically acclaimed artist Hank Willis Thomas and Opal Tometi, co-founder of Black Lives Matter. Other notable speakers included   Folarin "Falz" Falana, Lola Ogunnaike, Freda Isingoma, Lemi Ghariokwu, Yagazie Emezi and Kelechi Amadi-Obi.

The exhibiting artists included Ouattara Watts, Ben Osawe, François-Xavier Gbré, Ablade Glover, Nike Okundaye Davies, Boris Nzebo, Aboudia, Abe Odedina, Angele Etoundi Essamba, Olu Ajayi, Wole Lagunju and Tiffanie Delune among others.

The fair's programme also featured ART X Live! Presents "Like Someone's Watching", the special project Graveyard of Ideas, as well as "40 Minutes with…".

Sixth edition

The sixth edition was held from 4 to 7 November 2021 at The Federal Palace Lagos, and extended online till 21 November at ARTXLAGOS.COM. It welcomed 30 leading galleries, presenting artworks by 120 artists from Africa and its diaspora.

It featured a range of curated projects, including "Future Africa" and "Unfolding Layers of Time" curated by Aude Christel Mgba, and an interactive project "We Are Here" curated by AWCA.

ART X Talks featured critically acclaimed speakers including a conversation in collaboration with the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. Notable speakers included Prince Yemisi Shyllon, Kavita Chellaram, Osinachi, Hakeem Adedeji, Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, Kelani Abass, Emmanuel Iduma and Nengi Omuku.

Key highlights of the 2021 fair included "Reloading…", an NFT exhibition featuring 10 of Africa's most exciting digital artists in collaboration with SuperRare, curated by Africa's foremost crypto-artist Osinachi, and Maurice Chapot and Ayo Lawson and "Art of Yusuf Grillo", a special presentation by kó in celebration of the life and legacy of acclaimed Nigerian artist Yusuf Grillo.

Exhibiting artists at the fair included Amoako Boafo, Aboudia, J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere, Mous Lamrabat, Benji Reid, Ouattara Watts, Nike Okundaye Davies, Joana Choumali, Boris Nzebo, Anjel (Boris Anje), Dmitri Fagbouhoun among others.

The Access Bank ART X Prize

The ART X Prize was launched by ART X Lagos, in partnership with Access Bank, to contribute to the continued growth of the visual art sector in Nigeria.

The 2016 and 2017 editions of the prize centred on young artists, and were won by Patrick Akpojotor and Habeeb Andu.

In 2018, the prize evolved to bolster the efforts of emerging artists who have demonstrated a commitment to careers as professional visual artists. Bolatito Aderemi-Ibitola, a multi-disciplinary artist, emerged as the winner, receiving a cash grant towards the execution of a compelling project and a solo presentation at the 2018 edition of ART X Lagos, as well as a three month residency at Gas Works in London in 2019.

In 2019, the Prize was renamed as the Access Bank ART X Prize. It was won by self-taught documentary photographer Etinosa Yvonne.

After a hiatus due to Covid-19, the Access Bank ART X Prize returned in 2021, with visual artist Chigozie Obi emerging as the winner.

ART X Live!

ART X Live! is a platform for expression and experimentation by Africa's dynamic young creators, fusing music and visual art, launched in 2016 by ART X Collective – the creators of ART X Lagos, West Africa's premier international art fair.

ART X Live! is an immersive, one-of-a-kind showcase that holds during the ART X Lagos art fair each year, featuring exciting collaborations between some of the fastest-rising talents on the African continent. ART X Live! alumni include Falana, WurlD, Lady Donli, Amaarae, TMXO, Odunsi the Engine, Wavy the Creator, and Teni the Entertainer and visual artists Dafe Oboro, Joy Matashi, Williams Chechet, Dricky, Tunde Alara, Osaze Amadasun, Tomisin Akins, and Fadekemi Ogunsanya.

For its first virtual edition in 2020, necessitated by the global pandemic, ART X Live! premiered ''Like Someone's Watching'', a short performance film starring musicians Oxlade and Tomi Owó, visual artist King Jesse Uranta, and DJ Camron that weaves together music video performances, interviews, digital artwork and a DJ set, probing both the burden and the privilege of creating as an artist.

The soundtrack of the film includes music by Oxlade and Tomi Owó and a set created by DJ Camron of revolutionary, activist-inspired music, that spanned decades and continents.

The sixth edition, titled "Forward Ever", was a live performance held on 6 November 2021 and was watched both in person and virtually around the world, curated by Lanre Masha, Faridah Folawiyo and Ayo Lawson, produced by BigFoot and Pheelz and featuring musicians Lojay, AYLØ, Dami Oniru alongside the visual artists AMKMQ and Fez.  

References

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External links

Official website

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Art festivals in Lagos
Culture in Lagos State
Annual events in Lagos
Recurring events established in 2016
2016 establishments in Nigeria