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Lagos Art Week confronts history, identity and belonging

By · Published by Everything Blog

In short

The fair features a wide array of exhibitions, panel discussions, music, and film screenings running alongside coordinated events across Lagos galleries and museums. Contemporary contributors like multidisciplinary artist Ndidi Dike tackle historical and current movement patterns through immersive physical installations. Historical showcases also feature prominently, including an exhibition dedicated to the pioneering ceramic techniques of the late Ladi Kwali. Together, these programs position African history and cultural inheritance as living guides for contemporary creative expression.

Key points

  • West Africa's leading art fair uses its platform to address enduring themes of collective…: West Africa's leading art fair uses its platform to address enduring themes of collective memory, displacement, and cultural heritage.
  • Modern Nigerian artists are actively drawing inspiration from earlier modernist pioneers…: Modern Nigerian artists are actively drawing inspiration from earlier modernist pioneers to drive new forms of creative expression.
  • Showcases across Lagos galleries and museums demonstrate the city's role as a major intel…: Showcases across Lagos galleries and museums demonstrate the city's role as a major intellectual and cultural hub for the region.

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ART X Lagos celebrates Africa’s heritage and contemporary creativity.

Lagos, Nigeria – A woman in an elegant red dress walks down a hallway, turning to take in her surroundings. A large painting catches her eye, and she steps into the booth for a closer look.

Around her, visitors move between 15 partitioned exhibition spaces, pausing to study the artworks. Thousands have gathered to admire, connect with and collect works from across the world.

It is the third day of ART X Lagos, West Africa’s premier and largest art fair, held from November 5–8 as the centrepiece of Nigeria’s annual art week. This year’s programme features exhibitions, installations, music, discussions and film screenings at the Federal Palace Hotel on Victoria Island. Galleries and museums across Lagos are also hosting exhibitions.

Together, the exhibitions explore cultural erosion, migration and belonging, examining how art can preserve collective memory and reconnect people with their heritage. They also reveal a cultural side of Lagos that extends beyond its reputation for commerce, traffic and relentless hustle.

The past in the present

Ndidi Dike, a contemporary sculptor…

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