No fewer than 18 galleries and 50 leading contemporary artists from across the globe will be part of this year’s ART X Lagos holding from November 2 to 4 at the Civic Centre, Victoria Island, Lagos.
ART X Lagos is one of the most important art fairs on the continent, showcasing the best and most innovative contemporary art from the continent and Diaspora, with the intention of widening Nigeria’s connection to the international contemporary art scene.
The fair will also feature a selection of Africa’s leading established and emerging artists, speakers and performers. The participating galleries include: Addis Fine Art (Ethiopia), Afriart Gallery (Uganda), Arthouse – The Space (Nigeria), Artyrama (Nigeria), Bloom Art (Nigeria), Circle Art Agency (Kenya), Gallery 1957 (Ghana), Nike Art Gallery (Nigeria), Nubuke Foundation (Ghana), Out of Africa Gallery (Spain), Retro Africa (Nigeria), Signature Beyond (Nigeria), SMAC Gallery (South Africa), SMO Contemporary (Nigeria), Stevenson (South Africa), TAFETA (UK), Thought Pyramid (Nigeria) and Tiwani Contemporary (UK).
The inaugural edition of ART X Lagos in 2016 received 5,000 visitors to The Civic Centre on Victoria Island, Lagos, and in last year’s edition, the figures rose close to 10,000. Over the past two years the fair has attracted representatives of international institutions such as the Tate Modern, Zeitz MOCAA, and the National Museum of African Art at the Smithsonian, while hosting some of the country’s most prominent dignitaries, including the Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.
ART X Talks, the highly sought-after talks programme, will return to ART X Lagos, with key stakeholders in the Africa’s art economy discussing themes that are pertinent to the state and evolution of contemporary art in Africa. ART X Talks, curated by Missla Libsekal, will hold on Saturday, November 3 and Sunday November 4. The programe will include a special talk by a keynote artist who will be announced later this month.
The Interactive Projects at the fair will also feature a series of diverse and exciting art installations curated by A Whitespace Creative Agency, that visitors will be encouraged to participate in, making the fair an entertaining day-out for all attendees.
The Art X Live, the dynamic live art and sound performance will hold on Saturday, November 3 to surprise and thrill guests. Launched in 2016, ART X Lagos is West Africa’s foremost international art fair, designed to showcase the best and most innovative contemporary art from the African continent and to widen Nigeria’s connection to the art scene across Africa and internationally. Since its debut, ART X Lagos has welcomed over 15,000 visitors to see the works of Africa’s leading artists. The fair has since become a cornerstone of the Lagos art calendar, drawing local patrons and a host of international collectors, curators, and critics yearly.
Through its contribution to the increased visibility of African artists, ART X Lagos aims to reinforce the visual arts as an important component of the creative industry in Nigeria and Africa, thus positioning Lagos as an emergent cultural capital on the continent.