Lagos: Art X Lagos, West Africa's leading international art fair, will return for its landmark tenth edition, tagged 10X, to celebrate African creativity, cultural exchange, and strengthen the continent's global artistic voice.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the fair will open its doors to the public from Nov. 6 to Nov. 9, 2025, at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos. Since its debut in 2016, ART X Lagos has grown into a major platform for African and international art dialogue, attracting artists, galleries, collectors, and visitors from more than 170 countries. The annual event has positioned Lagos as a major cultural hub on the global art map while expanding the boundaries of what an art fair can be.
To commemorate its 10th anniversary, ART X Lagos unveiled its first-ever Impact Report, highlighting a decade of cultural exchange, creative innovation, and contributions to Africa's creative economy. The 2025 edition with the theme: 'Imagining Otherwise, No Matter the Tide,' will explore how imagination can guide urban futures and collective action. Founder and Chairman, Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, on Wednesday, said the fair's milestone reflects both its vision and Nigeria's evolving art landscape.
The 2025 edition will expand across four new locations within the Federal Palace grounds, including the Balmoral Marquee, Ballroom Marquee, Lobby, and Waterfront Garden, an ambitious format introduced for the anniversary celebration. Fifteen curated galleries will participate, including Affinity Art Gallery, Afriart Gallery, Alexis Galleries, Galerie MAM, Gallery 1957, k³, Nike Art Gallery, O'DA Art, SMO Contemporary, Tiwani Contemporary, Wunika Mukan Gallery, and Yenwa. Three new Spotlight Galleries - ADEGBOLA, AMG Projects, and Nomadic Art Gallery - will also make their debut, showcasing solo exhibitions by emerging artists.
Curator-at-Large Missla Libsekal will oversee special projects such as External Realities, Internal Geographies by Nengi Omuku, sponsored by Chapel Hill Denham. Another highlight is the ART X ICON exhibition, An Exacting Eye, featuring six decades of photographs by legendary Nigerian photographer J.D. 'Okhai Ojeikere, sponsored by Zenith Bank. A special extension, The Masterclass, led by his son, Amaize Ojeikere, will mentor 10 young photographers, with three to receive grants and public exhibitions.
Complementing the exhibition, a live photography studio, Portraits of Modernity by Rachel Seidu, curated by Fikayo Adebajo, will allow fairgoers to co-create portraits celebrating Nigeria's sculptural hairstyles and cultural heritage. Two major sculptural installations, MASS (Devotion) by Dennis Osadebe and Asoebi by Sokari Douglas Camp CBE, will also feature prominently, exploring themes of spirituality, identity, and collective experience.
Other key programmes include The Library, a literature and research hub sponsored by Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers; Speakers' Corner, curated by Adebajo in collaboration with social enterprise Mitimeth. ART X Cinema, curated by Tega Okiti, will feature films such as My Father's Shadow by Akinola Davies, and Dahomey and Atlantique by Mati Diop. The live music showcase, ART X Live!, curated by Lanre Masha and sponsored by EnjoyCorp, will headline Nigerian Highlife fusion band The Cavemen, alongside LLona, Braye, and Ameaya.
ART X Talks will host influential African voices, including Akinbode Akinbiyi, Amaize Ojeikere, and Mati Diop, with special sessions featuring Bruce Onobrakpeya, Jimoh Buraimoh, Muraina Oyelami, and Nike Davies-Okundaye, in partnership with k³ Gallery. The Art Across Borders series, in its fifth edition and sponsored by Afreximbank, will present six artists - Edson Chagas, M¡rio Macilau, Nic¨ne Kossentini, Fatoumata Diabat©, Kudzanai Chiurai, and Camille Chedda - exploring themes of decoloniality and belonging.
As part of its educational initiatives, ART X Lagos introduced Resonance, an annual residency in Paris in partnership with the Embassy of France in Nigeria and Cit© Internationale des Arts. The inaugural fellows - Mobolaji Ogunrosoye, Olorunfemi Adewuyi, and Tony Agbapuonwu - will each undertake three-month residencies in France. The fair's community-focused segment, Kids at ART X Lagos, will feature storytelling sessions, Tales by Moonlight with writer Oluwalanu Agusto and artist Bruce Onobrakpeya, along with children's art exhibitions and interactive workshops such as The Tide Wall.