Curated by Founder and Director Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, this year’s edition, titled 'Imagining Otherwise, No Matter The Tide', invites reflection on how human imagination can guide us in building healthier, more inclusive spaces, and how we individually and collectively have agency to act, imagine, and cultivate our shared place in the world.
Students exploring Marcellina Akpojotor's Social Fabrics, Sustainable Threads Exhibition, 2024. Courtesy of ART X Lagos.
Over the years, ART X Lagos has become a cornerstone of the African art scene, drawing artists and galleries from over 70 countries and participants from 170 nations worldwide. Since its launch in 2016, the fair has played a critical role in empowering African artists, curators, and galleries, both emerging and established.
"Our tenth edition marks an important landmark for ART X Lagos and offers a unique chance to reflect on how the Nigerian art scene has grown and changed over the past ten years since we started." says Tokini Peterside-Schwebig. "Through our platforms, we’ve reimagined what it means to advocate for the African narrative on the global stage. The theme this year is focused on possibilities; looking at the role that community will play in the future of Lagos and cities like it around the world."
JD Okhai Ojeikere, Nigerian Culture Series, Portrait of Maiden Dancers, 1974. Courtesy of ART X Lagos.
The 2025 event will welcome both international and local galleries and feature special commissions and projects. The full lineup is yet to be announced, but the fair has confirmed special projects and commissions by artists such as:
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J.D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere, (1930-2014), an artist and photographer known for his Hairstyles series;
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Nengi Omuku, a Nigerian artist, whose immersive paintings on sanyan, a traditional Yoruba textile, explore the themes of refuge, identity, and collective experience;
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Temitayo Ogunbiyi, an artist whose site-specific installations transform urban spaces into environments of memory, sensory exploration, and imaginative transformation.
Visitors engage with The Crossroads at ART X Lagos, 2024. Courtesy of ART X Lagos.
In addition to these special exhibitions, the upcoming edition will see the return of The Library, ART X Live!, ART X Cinema, and ART X Talks. ART X Lagos has also partnered with the Embassy of France in Nigeria and the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, to launch Resonance, an annual residency programme for visual artists, designers, and curators based in Nigeria.
Kemi Lijadu performing a set at ART X Live!, 2024. Courtesy of ART X Lagos.
And finally, the fair will present the fifth edition of Art Across Borders, a unique platform offering cultural exchange opportunities for African artists under 50, who represent the innovation that defines contemporary African art.
Cover image: Guest engaging wtih artwork at Ko Gallery, 2024. Courtesy of ART X Lagos.
