Every November, art collectors, patrons, purists, and enthusiasts from around the world flock to Lagos to experience the cutting edge of contemporary and modern art from Africa and the diaspora, at ART X Lagos. Since its inception in 2016, ART X Lagos has established itself as one of the most exciting emerging international art fairs.
Abe Odedina, Love Play, 2018. Acrylic on plywood, 115 x 112.7cm. Image courtesy of the artist and Ed Cross Fine Art.
The fourth edition of ART X Lagos take place in November 2019 at a new and larger venue, The Federal Palace in Victoria Island, Lagos. The move marks a significant step in ART X Lagos’ evolution, offering the fair an increased venue capacity, with the number of gallery booths growing from 14 to 23, with several exhibitors occupying larger booths.
Some of the key exhibitors include SMO Contemporary Art (Nigeria), Bloom Art (Nigeria), Goodman Gallery (South Africa), SMAC Gallery (South Africa), Galerie Cécile Fakhoury (Côte d’Ivoire), Galerie MAM (Cameroon), Tiwani Contemporary (UK), and Addis Fine Art (Ethiopia), with over 90 artists from across Africa and the diaspora set to feature, such as Soly Cissé (Senegal), Sam Nhlengethwa (South Africa), Tizta Berhanu (Ethiopia), Abe Odedina (Nigeria / UK / Brazil), and Lady Skollie (South Africa) amongst others.
What’s New in 2019
The fourth edition of the fair also sees the introduction of ART X Modern, a new section dedicated to showcasing pioneers of African modern art from the 20th century, presented by Stanbic IBTC Pensions. This section will comprise of three galleries: Bloom Art (Nigeria), Mydrim Gallery (Nigeria) and Gallery 1957 (Ghana), featuring artists such as Professor Ablade Glover (Ghana) and Uche Okeke (Nigeria), amongst other well-reputed names.
ART X Lagos’ move to The Federal Palace also allows for greater curated sections and an enhanced visitor experience including the introduction of a Performance Art section, curated by artist Wura-Natasha Ogunji, for 2019.
Joy Labinjo, Untitled, 2018. Image courtesy of the artist and Tiwani Contemporary.
The fair’s robust programming also includes the following sections of the fair:
The Curated Projects: Presenting three exhibitions incorporating augmented reality, virtual reality, sound, installation, and film, enriching the viewers’ experience by expanding beyond the gallery booth format, curated by the Fair’s Artistic Director, Tayo Ogunbiyi.
The Interactive Projects: Curated by A Whitespace Creative Agency the 2019 Interactive Projects will explore the theme of PLAY, presented by 7UP.
ART X Talks: The fair’s highly sought after Talks Programme returns on Saturday 2nd November and Sunday 3rd November. The 2019 Keynote Artists, Emeka Ogboh and Wangechi Mutu, will speak on the Saturday and Sunday of the fair respectively and will be joined by other noteworthy speakers such as Antawan Byrd, as well as celebrated curator and art critic, N’Goné Fall.
ART X Live!: The penultimate night of ART X Lagos will play host to ART X Live!, the fair’s one-night-only dynamic visual art and live music show. Titled Making the Maverick, the show will feature new commissions by emerging visual artists Dafe Oboro and Joy Matashi, with live performances from WurlD, Lady Donli and Buju, with all music produced by TMXO.
The 4th edition of ART X Lagos will take place from the 1st of November until the 3rd of November 2019. Visit artxlagos.com for more information on attending the fair. Tickets are now available online.
For guests planning to attend the fair from overseas, the ART X Lagos Guest Relations Team (visit@artxlagos.com) will be available to help you with any travel enquiries.
