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ART X Lagos, West Africa’s leading international art fair and a trailblazing force in global contemporary culture, today unveiled its landmark 10-Year Impact Report and announced key programme highlights of its milestone 2025 edition, taking place from 6–9 November 2025 at the Federal Palace, Lagos.
Over the past decade, ART X Lagos has welcomed more than 700,000 visitors from 170 countries, championed over 500 of Africa’s leading artists, and grown far beyond the limits of a traditional art fair — establishing itself as a transformative platform that has redefined how African creativity is experienced and positioned on the global stage.
“As we mark ten years of ART X Lagos, we honour the countless artists, curators, gallerists, collectors, and audiences who have shaped this journey with us,” said Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, Chairman and Founder. “This report not only reflects what we have achieved in our first decade, but sets out our intent for the future — to deepen our role as a catalyst for Africa’s creative future, and to amplify the global presence of African voices.”
Since its launch, ART X Lagos has served as the catalyst for Lagos’ art week — now the highlight of Nigeria’s annual art season — inspiring a city-wide celebration that has firmly positioned Lagos among the world’s most vibrant cultural capitals.
The Impact Report stands as a testament to this influence, capturing the voices of artists, gallerists, and cultural leaders who articulate how ART X Lagos has transformed the global conversation around African creativity.
“This is a fair that has succeeded in transforming the futures of both artists and collectors. It has had an unmeasurable economic regenerative effect, and it has increased exponentially the cultural capital of Lagos. ” — Yinka Shonibare CBE, Artist, Founder GAS Foundation
“ART X Lagos has been nothing short of transformative. Over the last decade, I’ve witnessed the fair reignite both local and regional interest in Lagos as a critical creative hub.” — Wale Lawal, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, The Republic.
“ART X has become a new cultural language for Africa that is contemporary, rooted and resolutely forward looking” — Maria Varnava, Founder & Director Tiwani Contemporary.
The tenth edition of ART X Lagos will be held under the theme “Imagining Otherwise, No Matter The Tide,” The anniversary edition addresses how – when we imagine Lagos’ future, and life more broadly in urban, global centres, human imagination can assist us in our attempt to create healthy spatialities. “Imagining Otherwise, No Matter The Tide” considers the ways that we individually and collectively have agency to act, to imagine and cultivate our shared place in the world to imagine new possibilities for community, identity, and shared futures.
The 2025 programme will present landmark exhibitions, special commissions, and cross-disciplinary platforms. Confirmed highlights include a rare exhibition of J.D. ’Okhai Ojeikere’s photographs from the 1950s through to the ‘70s, alongside new installations by Nigerian artists Nengi Omuku and Temitayo Ogunbiyi. In addition, this year’s fair will see the return of The ART X Library—a dedicated space for literature with a special spotlight on Bruce Onobrakpeya—alongside ART X Live!, its innovative music platform; ART X Cinema, a showcase dedicated to artistically-minded independent African filmmaking; and ART X Talks, which features exceptional African and diasporic talent, and has previously included keynote speakers such as El Anatsui, Njideka Akunyili-Crosby, Yinka Shonibare CBE, Wangechi Mutu, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Ibrahim Mahama and more.
As part of its commitment to the next generation, ART X Lagos this year launched Resonance, an annual residency programme in partnership with the Embassy of France in Nigeria and the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris, and will host the fifth edition of Art Across Borders, spotlighting dynamic pan-African and diasporic artists under 50.
As it approaches its tenth edition, ART X Lagos reaffirms its role as a beacon for African creativity and a catalyst for cultural exchange – a platform that continues to drive Lagos’ dynamic art season and inspire the city’s thriving cultural ecosystem. This milestone year promises to deliver bold experiences that connect Lagos to the world, while shaping the future of Africa’s cultural landscape. More details on programming, participating galleries, artists, and special projects to be announced.
ART X Lagos 2025 is proudly sponsored by Zenith Bank, Afreximbank, AnapJets, Chapel Hill Denham, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, emPLE, EnjoyCorp, Air France & ZTL Liquids Transfer.
