Lagos is once again set to take center stage on the global art scene as ART X Lagos, West Africa’s foremost international art fair, celebrates its 10th anniversary with a grand edition themed “10X.”
Scheduled to hold from November 6–9, 2025, at the Federal Palace, Victoria Island, this milestone edition will expand across four newly designed spaces within the venue, offering an immersive experience of African artistic excellence.
The announcement was made at an exclusive launch event during the week, where Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, Founder and Chairperson of ART X Lagos, reflected on the fair’s decade-long impact on the continent’s creative economy.
“When we began in 2016, the dream was simple yet bold — to champion how African creativity is seen, celebrated, and valued. That dream began right here in Lagos, and over the past decade, it has grown into something extraordinary: a movement that has connected artists, communities, and audiences across Africa and beyond,” Peterside-Schwebig said.
This year’s edition will feature 15 curated galleries exhibiting works by both emerging and established artists from Africa and its diaspora.
Participating galleries include 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, featuring ADEGBOLA, AMG Projects, and Nomadic Art Gallery, each presenting focused solo exhibitions by some of the continent’s most promising new voices.
Peterside-Schwebig also unveiled the fair’s first-ever Impact Report, chronicling a decade of cultural exchange, artistic innovation, and creative entrepreneurship across Africa.
The 2025 theme, “Imagining Otherwise, No Matter The Tide,” will explore the power of imagination in shaping urban futures, with Lagos serving as its conceptual heart.
Among the major highlights is the inaugural ART X ICON exhibition, “An Exacting Eye,” a tribute to legendary Nigerian photographer J.D. ’Okhai Ojeikere, sponsored by Zenith Bank. In honor of his legacy, ART X Lagos will launch The Masterclass, a mentorship program for emerging photographers aged 30 and under, to be led by Amaize Ojeikere, the late artist’s son.
Complementing the exhibition, Rachel Seidu’s live photography studio, “Portraits of Modernity,” curated by Fikayo Adebajo, will invite visitors to co-create portraits inspired by Ojeikere’s distinctive style — celebrating Nigerian hairstyles and cultural identity.
Reflecting on the decade-long journey, Peterside-Schwebig extended gratitude to the fair’s partners and sponsors, including Zenith Bank, Afreximbank, Chapel Hill Denham, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, AnapJets, emPLE, EnjoyCorp, Air France, and ZTL Liquids Transfer, as well as Advisory Board members Femi Lijadu, Labi Ogunbiyi, N’Goné Fall, Papa Omotayo, and Reni Folawiyo.
“Our tenth edition is not just a milestone, but a mirror. It reflects how far we’ve come and how much further African creativity can go when we imagine together,” she concluded.#newsafro_
