ART X Lagos, West Africa’s foremost international art fair, will celebrate its 10th anniversary this November with an expanded programme that brings together legendary Nigerian artist Bruce Onobrakpeya, contemporary painter Nengi Omuku, and Highlife fusion band The Cavemen, among a distinguished lineup of visual artists, musicians, filmmakers, and curators from across Africa and its diaspora.
The fair, themed “10X” to mark its decade-long impact, will run from 6 to 9 November 2025 at the Federal Palace in Victoria Island, Lagos. It marks a significant milestone for a cultural platform that has helped position Lagos as a key creative hub within the global art marketplace.
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The anniversary edition was officially unveiled at a launch event held on Wednesday at Miliki, Victoria Island. ART X Lagos founder and chairman Tokini Peterside-Schwebig reflected on the fair’s journey since its inception in 2016.
According to her, when the initiative began, the vision was to create a platform to champion how African creativity is seen, celebrated, and valued on the world stage.
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Over the past ten years, the fair has evolved into a movement that has attracted over 700,000 visitors from more than 170 countries and contributed significantly to reshaping international perceptions of contemporary African art.
This year’s fair will occupy a larger footprint across four distinct zones within the Federal Palace grounds, including the Balmoral Marquee, the Federal Palace Ballroom Marquee, the Federal Palace Lobby and the newly introduced Waterfront Garden.
The organisers say the expanded layout enhances visitor engagement while accommodating new sections and anniversary-specific programming.
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15 galleries
Fifteen galleries will participate in the 2025 edition, featuring a diverse mix of established and emerging artists representing various African cities and diasporic spaces. Among the galleries lined up are kó, SMO Contemporary, Nike Art Gallery, Wunika Mukan Gallery, Tiwani Contemporary, O’DA Art, Affinity Art Gallery, Yenwa Gallery, Alexis Galleries, Gallery 1957, Afriart Gallery and Galerie MAM.
A new Spotlight Section will debut this year, dedicated to fast-rising galleries showcasing focused solo presentations by emerging artists. ADEGBOLA, AMG Projects and Nomadic Art Gallery will be the first to feature under this category, reflecting the fair’s ongoing commitment to discovering and championing new voices within the African contemporary art scene.
Special projects for the 10th edition, curated by Curator-at-Large Missla Libsekal, will include newly commissioned works that examine identity, migration, environment, and cultural transformation.
Notably, Nengi Omuku will present an installation titled “External Realities, Internal Geographies,” sponsored by Chapel Hill Denham, which reinterprets traditional Sanyan cloth into large textile-based paintings that consider emotional refuge and spatial memory.
Another key project, “WHERE THERE IS LIFE, THERE IS HOPE: B’á ò kú, ìṣe ò tán,” by Temitayo Ogunbiyi and sponsored by emPLE, will explore urban environments as fluid, participatory spaces shaped by collective human experience and reimagined through art.
In honour of a significant figure in African visual history, ART X Lagos will launch the inaugural ART X ICON exhibition, “An Exacting Eye,” sponsored by Zenith Bank.
The exhibition will highlight six decades of work by the late photographer J.D.’ Okhai Ojeikere, known globally for documenting Nigerian hairstyles and cultural forms with precision, discipline, and archival intentionality. Continuing his legacy, the Masterclass programme will be introduced as an educational and mentorship initiative for young photographers aged 30 and under.
Led by Amaize Ojeikere, the late photographer’s son, the workshop will take place on 8 and 9 November in Lagos, with three participants receiving grants and opportunities for exhibition after the fair. Complementing this tribute, an interactive “Portraits of Modernity” installation by Rachel Seidu, curated by Fikayo Adebajo, will invite fairgoers to co-create contemporary photographic portraits inspired by Ojeikere’s stylistic legacy.
Other central installations, films too
Other central installations at the fair will include Dennis Osadebe’s “MASS (Devotion),” a sculptural interpretation of communal spirituality through a circular structure that evokes the ritual of prayer gatherings, and “Asoebi” by Sokari Douglas Camp CBE, which transforms Nigerian ceremonial textile culture into large-scale steel sculptures that interrogate heritage and identity.
A contemplative space named The Library will return this year as a central feature for reflective engagement. It will feature works by Mr Onobrakpeya, curated artistic publications, archival contributions from the G.A.S. Foundation Art Library, and curated cinema snippets, supported by Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers.
Beyond visual art, the organiser says the fair continues to deepen its commitment to interdisciplinary programming across music, film, and dialogue.
ART X Live!, curated by Lanre Masha, will be headlined by The Cavemen, whose modern interpretation of Highlife draws from Afrobeat, Jazz and Soul. Additional performers, including LLona, Braye and Ameaya, will represent the theme “From the Roots,” which aims to showcase artists whose creative journeys reflect heritage and contemporary evolution.
ART X Cinema, curated by Tega Okiti, will feature a selection of African and diasporic films, including “My Father’s Shadow” by Akinola Davies, which debuted at Cannes, as well as Mati Diop’s critically acclaimed films “Dahomey” (2024) and “Atlantique” (2019). Meanwhile, ART X Talks will convene cultural leaders, artists and scholars across a series of panels. Confirmed speakers include Akinbode Akinbiyi, Amaize Ojeikere and Mati Diop.
A special session titled “The Rebels and the Movement,” presented in partnership with kó Gallery, will bring together veteran Nigerian artists Bruce Onobrakpeya, Jimoh Buraimoh, Muraina Oyelami, and Nike Davies-Okundaye for a rare intergenerational dialogue on artistic resistance and legacy.
The fair’s participatory segment, The Speakers’ Corner, curated by Fikayo Adebajo, will return as a space for audience-led reflection and commentary.
This year’s installation, developed with social enterprise Mitimeth, draws symbolic inspiration from the resilience of mangrove ecosystems, inviting conversations around adaptation, sustainability and community resilience in contemporary African cities.
Educational development remains a key component of the fair through the ART X Development Forum and the Schools’ Programme, showcasing interpretations of this year’s theme, “Imagining Otherwise, No Matter the Tide,” created by young artists exploring Lagos’ future through creativity and resilience.
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The Tide Wall, a hands-on installation, will allow children to create textured prints inspired by urban life. In addition, a storytelling experience titled “Tales by Moonlight,” hosted by veteran artist Mr Onobrakpeya and writer Oluwalanu Agusto, will connect young audiences to Nigeria’s oral traditions and cultural ancestry.
Key sponsors for the 10th anniversary edition include Zenith Bank, Afreximbank, Chapel Hill Denham, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, AnapJets, EnjoyCorp, Patron, emPLE, Air France, ZTL Liquids Transfer and other partners.
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