ART X Lagos returns to the Civic Center in Victoria Island, Lagos for its third edition with 18 galleries from the 2nd to 4th November 2018. The fair will play host to some of Africa’s most sought-after established and emerging artists, as well as leading galleries.
“In six weeks, we will open the doors to ART X Lagos 2018. We look forward to welcoming a vast and varied, local and international audience as we seek to reinforce Lagos’ position as an emergent cultural capital on our continent,” says Tokini Peterside, ART X Lagos Founder and Director at this edition press launch.
Following a successful first and second edition – with a record of over 15,000 visitors at the 2016 fair, ART X continues to build on its ambition to be the destination art fair for West Africa. This, it reinforces through its exciting program and the line up of galleries and artists from various countries beyond the African continent.
Art House – The Space (Nigeria), Addis Fine Art (Ethiopia), Circle Art Agency (Kenya), Stevenson Gallery (South Africa), Gallery 1957 (Ghana), Tafeta (United Kingdom), Tiwani Contemporary (United Kingdom), Nike Art Gallery (Nigeria), and Out of Africa Gallery (Spain) are some of the 18 galleries picked by a Selection Committee led by N’Goné Fall, a renowned Senegalese curator, art critic and cultural consultant, and Femi Lijadu, one of Nigeria’s most respected art collectors and leading commercial lawyers.
Among the listed highlights for this year is an exhibition focusing on the career of renowned artist Yinka Shonibare MBE through ART X curated projects. In the previous edition, the curated projects featured a special tribute to legendary modernist painter and sculptor, Ben Enwonwu MBE (1917 – 1994) in honour of his 100th natal anniversary. The tribute show presented seven wooden sculptures from the Access Bank collection which were commissioned from the artist in 1960 by the Daily Mirror in London. It was hitherto never seen by the Nigerian public.
Other artists to note this year, albeit in the commercial section, are Paul Onditi, Cyrus Kabiru, Zanele Muholi, Joy Labinjo and Na Chainkua Reindorf. Onditi and Kabiru represent a number of artists from East Africa that will be shown at the fair for the first time.
Key presentations for this year are highlighted extensively after this image.
ART X Talks – Curated by Missla Libsekal, this program features a series of exciting and engaging talks from key stakeholders in Africa’s art economy. ART X Talks will hold on the 3rd and 4th November, including a keynote talk with Yinka Shonibare MBE.
Interactive Projects – Curated by A Whitespace Creative Agency (AWCA), it will feature experiential platforms that explore ideas influenced by the exhilarating essence of Lagos. Olalekan Jeyifous and Wale Lawal have created a virtual reality installation, Mad Horse City, which explores a futuristic imagination of Lagos in the year 2115. Also curated for this project is ‘Lagos Drawings’, an interactive installation, by Karo Akpokiere which combines digital technology, perceptible sounds and visual illustrations inspired by Lagos textures.
ART X Prize with Access – For the 2018 edition, the prize evolved to bolster the efforts of emerging artists who have demonstrated a commitment to their careers as professional visual artists. Bolatito Aderemi-Ibitola, who emerged as the winner in June 2018, after a rigorous selection process, received a grant of N1 million naira and will have a solo presentation of her project, Scraps from Mama’s Floor at this year’s fair.
ART X Live! – An intersection between live art and music performance, this year’s edition will feature some of Africa’s most talented rising artists. Curated by Lanre Masha and with the creative direction of Odunsi the Engine, visitors to the live section will enjoy performances by Teni the Entertainer, Ghanaian musician Amaarae, and BOJ accompanied by some of Lagos’ finest emerging visual and graphic artists. Their performances will explore Africa’s rich musical history with a celebration of icons, legends and sounds that have shaped the continent’s contemporary musical landscape.
ART X Lagos 2018 is made possible by the committed support of Access Bank (Gold Sponsor); Ford Foundation (Diversity and Education Sponsor); Stanbic IBTC Pensions, H2Oh!, Anap Jets and Chapel Hill Denham (Bronze Sponsors); Lufthansa, Absolut, Budweiser, Leadway Assurance and Metro Capital (Category Sponsors).
Top image: Cyrus Kabiru, Dadab, 2017, C-type Print on Diasec Mount | Courtesy Art X Lagos