Since its inception, Art X Lagos has done more than host an art fair—it has built a thriving ecosystem for Nigerian and West African art. Over the past decade, it has created a vital platform where artists, curators, collectors, and audiences converge, fostering dialogue, discovery, and visibility for a region long rich with creative energy yet often underrepresented on the global stage.
This edition marked the fair’s 10th year. This milestone celebrated both longevity and impact, showcasing the depth and innovation of artists from across the region. From painting and sculpture to installation, performance, and mixed media, the fair highlighted the ways contemporary African art continues to evolve while remaining deeply rooted in local narratives and cultural memory.
Beyond exhibitions, the fair’s programming—including talks, workshops, and activations—reflected its broader mission: to nurture talent, encourage experimentation, and cultivate new audiences.
Here are the highlights.
A showcase of J.D. ‘Okhai Ojeikere’s creative legacy featured several of his projects: “Standing Tall,” where he captured Lagos at the dawn of independence, its modern skyline rising as a symbol of progress and optimism; “The Sublime,” in which his artistry lay in revealing beauty within the everyday through thoughtful framing, light, and angle; and “Culture and Nation,” which explored his lifelong mission to document Nigeria’s immense cultural wealth and help shape a shared postcolonial identity. Beyond being the leading vision for this year’s Art X Lagos, his work remains a visual archive of pride, unity, and artistic sensitivity.
Wunika Mukan Gallery presented a solo exhibition of new works by Nigerian-British artist Solá Olúlode. The exhibition marked Olúlode’s first solo show in Nigeria and extended her exploration of myth, spirituality, and celestial imagination through indigo-dyed canvases and luminous figurations. Drawing from Yoruba adire dyeing traditions and global star mythologies, Olúlode combined hand-tied and batik techniques with oil paint and intricate beading to transform the night sky into a realm of spiritual transcendence and shared memory. Her mystic scenes depicted figures floating among constellations—bodies rendered as vessels of divine grace and earthly strength. In this series, Olúlode reimagined Olympian athletes such as Simone Biles, Venus and Serena Williams, Mo Farah, Flo-Jo, and Sha’Carri Richardson as celestial beings, celebrating the power, beauty, and endurance of Black excellence suspended in cosmic reverie.
Nomadic Gallery presented Ije Udo—meaning “Journey to Peace” in Igbo—a deeply reflective exhibition by performance and visual artist Victoria Ndubuisi. The body of work explored rebirth, resilience, and the sacred power of the female body as both vessel and storyteller. Drawing from her experiences of pregnancy, childbirth, and postpartum healing, Ndubuisi transformed her personal journey into a collective ritual of renewal. The exhibition unfolded as a passage through peace-seeking practices such as yoga, meditation, affirmation, and communal living.
Yenwa Gallery made its debut at Art X Lagos with Invisible Foundations, a group exhibition featuring Shalom Kufakwatenzi, Damilola Opedun, and Victoria Oniosun. Conceived as a gesture toward intra-continental dialogue, the presentation positioned Lagos as a vital meeting point for artists investigating how material, memory, and identity shape both the visible and invisible frameworks of contemporary life. Through painting, textile, and performance, the works examined transformation, belonging, and the unseen architectures of power. Shalom Kufakwatenzi’s tactile installations, including Patriarchal Bull and A Point in Time, evoked the weight of land, labor, and resistance. Damilola Opedun’s Invisible Foundations and Silent Construction transformed spirituality into visual architecture. Victoria Oniosun’s abstract and figurative paintings, such as The Sunday Ritual and For How Long?, reflected on womanhood, introspection, and emotional mapping across geographies.
The gallery presented Equanimity, a contemplative series by Joy Adeboye that traced a quiet reckoning with the limits of certainty. Through translucent, trembling watercolors, Adeboye explored the thresholds between presence and disappearance, belief and doubt. In works such as Nihil, form drifted toward dissolution, surrendering to an emptiness that felt paradoxically full. Time and Presence suspended that tension between beauty and decay, its burnt edges and fading shapes evoking both fragility and endurance. In Seduction of Absence, the figure seemed to hover between memory and erasure, while The Paradox of Longing suggested the cyclic pull of faith and futility.
Afriart Gallery presented works by Richard Atugonza and Charlene Komuntale, two Ugandan artists exploring resilience, identity, and transformation through material and form. Atugonza’s sculptures, made from sawdust, dried grass, and charcoal, reflected a deep dialogue between humanity and nature. His use of discarded materials spoke to adaptation and the creative potential within limitation. Komuntale combined digital painting with textiles, embroidery, and beading to examine beauty, freedom, and the layered experiences of Black women.
O’da Art presented Echoes of the Wind, a contemplative series by Deborah Segun that continued her exploration of the human condition through distilled forms, fluid geometry, and quiet introspection. Comprising ten acrylic paintings and ten intimate works on paper, the exhibition captured the unseen movement of emotion and memory, translating the invisible rhythms of air into form and color.
Curated by Fikayo Adebajo and activated by A Third Space, Speaker’s Corner: City of Dreams invited visitors to reflect on how collective imagination might shape the cities of tomorrow. At its heart stood The Mangrove Tree—a sculptural, sustainable installation symbolizing interconnectedness and resilience. Drawing inspiration from the balance of natural ecosystems, the work offered a vision of urban life rooted in collaboration and care. Fabricated by MitiMeth, a social enterprise that transforms invasive water hyacinth into usable materials, the installation brought together artisans who wove hyacinth, willow, and handmade paper into a striking symbol of regeneration.
Dye Lab unveiled The ART X Lagos 10 Shop, a reimagined retail experience that bridged design, craft, and collaboration. Invited to design and curate the fair’s gift shop, Dye Lab transformed it into a destination for meaningful gifts and collectibles. Drawing from its history of pop-ups and experiential activations, the brand showcased a curated selection of limited-edition pieces created in collaboration with artisanal African brands such as Knanfe, Pichulik, and Gallery Fresco.