ART X Lagos has closed its 11th edition, and the fair says it is now entering a new decade.
Held from 5 to 8 November at the Federal Palace in Lagos, the 2026 edition took the theme “A New Chapter, A New Decade”. It looked back to the generation of Nigerian modernist artists, architects, educators and thinkers who shaped the country’s cultural life, and asked what the next ten years should build on.
The week began with a Collectors’ Preview on Thursday and an Official Opening Ceremony on Friday. Founder and Director Tokini Peterside-Schwebig led private tours for the Tate International Council and for a CANEX delegation backed by Afreximbank, which included Nigeria’s Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, and Rwanda’s Minister of State for Youth and Arts, Sandrine Umutoni. Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was at the opening and received a certificate of appreciation from Tokini. An after-party at VICI closed the night with a live set from Falana.
What was on the floor
Fifteen galleries showed across the Main and Spotlight sections. The Main section carried Affinity Art Gallery, Afriart Gallery, Alexis Galleries, AMG Projects, Gallery 1957, kó, Kokopelli Gallery, Nike Art Gallery, O’DA Art, SMO Contemporary Art, TAFETA and Yenwa. Adegbola Gallery, Nomadic Art Gallery and Windsor Gallery took the Spotlight section.
The fair’s centrepiece, ART X ICON, honoured Ladi Kwali with Beyond the Vessel, curated by Dr Jareh Das and sponsored by Zenith Bank. A Masterclass for ten emerging artists ran alongside it, and the Kids’ Corner let families work with clay in the spirit of her legacy.
Art Across Borders, titled Walkers with the Dawn and sponsored by Afreximbank, brought together Victor Ehikhamenor from Nigeria, Kiluanji Kia Henda from Angola, Georgina Maxim from Zimbabwe, Kaloki Nyamai from Kenya and Ghizlane Sahli from Morocco.
Ndidi Dike’s Residues of Past Encounters II, 2026, curated by N’Goné Fall and sponsored by Chapel Hill Denham, centred on a weathered canoe that evokes Badagry’s Point of No Return. The ART X Library, curated by Missla Libsekal with books on loan from the G.A.S Foundation, gave visitors somewhere to sit and read. Yinka Bernie’s Moving Parts, co-curated by Papa Omotayo and Fikayo Adebajo, sat at Speakers’ Corner.
Beyond the walls
ART X Cinema screened Mothers of Chibok by the Emmy-winning Joel Kachi Benson and hosted a lecture-performance by Ed Keazor on 100 years of Nigerian cinema. ART X Live!, curated by Lanre Masha, featured taves, Kunmie, Solana, EKENE, LULU, Lodù, Nora and WEAREALLCHEMICALS, with a special appearance by Ladipoe.
The talks programme paired Dr Jareh Das with Isis Dove-Edwin, Ndidi Dike with N’Goné Fall and Femi Lijadu, and Joel Kachi Benson with Falana. The Development Forum, “Laying Ground, Lifting Horizons: African Artists as Builders”, moderated by Fikayo Adebajo and Nelson C.J, heard from artists and founders who run their own institutions, among them Kaloki Nyamai, Georgina Maxim, Moni Aisida, Wura Natasha Ogunji and Faridah Folawiyo.
More than 750 young Nigerians took part in the Schools’ Programme, sponsored by ZTL Liquids Transfer Limited, facilitated by Tolulope Ami-Williams and run with Teach for Nigeria.
Zenith Bank, Afreximbank, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, Chapel Hill Denham, Champion Brands, AnapJets, ZTL Liquids Transfer, MTN Nigeria and Patrón backed the 2026 edition.
Founded in 2016, ART X Lagos has drawn more than 700,000 visitors across its editions. Tokini says the next phase is about the depth and lasting impact of what the fair builds, and about becoming an institution grounded in excellence, original in its thinking and true to who it is.
