Art X Lagos, West Africa’s leading art fair has announced November 2 – 4, 2018 as the date for this year’s edition, the third. Making the announcement in a statement, the organisers said the 18 participating galleries are to display works by over 50 renowned pan-African contemporary artists.
Venue is 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 African continent and Diaspora, with the intention of widening Nigeria’s connection to the international contemporary art scene,” said the statement.
The statement explained that the inaugural edition of ART X Lagos in 2016 welcomed 5,000 visitors to The Civic Centre in Victoria Island, Lagos, and last year’s edition saw the figures double to close to 10,000.
“Over the past two years the fair has welcomed 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 His Highness the Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi,” the statement said.
The 2018 edition of ART X Lagos will feature a selection of Africa’s leading established and emerging artists, speakers and performers. Further detailed information will be announced in September 2018.
The exhibiting galleries are 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).
ART X Talks, ART X Live! and all the other programmes that make the fair unique will return this year. ART X Talks, curated by Missla Libsekal, which will hold on Saturday November 3 and Sunday November 4 will include a special talk by a keynote artist who will be announced in September – previous speakers have included the world-renowned artists, El Anatsui and Njideka Akunyili-Crosby.
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 art fair has since become a cornerstone of the Lagos art calendar, drawing local patrons and a host of international collectors, curators, and critics annually. 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.