Art x Lagos ‘24
For the ninth year in a row, the Art x Lagos fair has brought African art into focus both within the continent and worldwide. The biggest West African art fair in existence, this carefully curated celebration of creativity and heritage has once again shown how much African artistic treasure is often neglected and forgotten.
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Since its first edition in 2016, Art x Lagos has been the leading international art fair in West Africa, held every year in Lagos, Nigeria. It has served as a much-needed platform that showcases contemporary art and culture from Africa and its diaspora worldwide. Over the years of its existence, Art x Lagos has become a prestigious global destination, bringing an astounding 170 nations in total as participants over nine years. This edition was held from 31 October to 3 November 2024 and hosted ten different galleries from five countries, namely: Affinity Art Gallery (Lagos, Nigeria), Afriart Gallery (Kampala, Uganda), Alexis Galleries (Lagos, Nigeria), Galerie MAM (Douala, Cameroon), Gallery 1957 (Accra, Ghana), Kanbi Projects (Rickmansworth, UK), Kó (Lagos, Nigeria), Nike Art Gallery (Lagos, Nigeria), O’da Art Gallery (Lagos, Nigeria), Tiwani Contemporary (London, UK).
However, the concept of the fair has slightly shifted over the years. The first few editions aimed to promote African art and artists and expand as much as possible to get on the world art map. But around 2020/2021, the founder of the festival shifted his perspective and decided to keep the number of exhibitors limited and thus more carefully curated to bring visitors a high-quality experience. This way, the yearly theme could be personal and cohesive throughout all art mediums and exhibitions shown during the fair.
Emphasizing both established and emerging African artists, Art x Lagos aims to promote African art and help African artists find community in their own countries and on their own continent, as opposed to always seeking opportunities abroad and seeing only the Western perspective of the global art world. That is why the theme of this year was titled "Promised Lands", evoking ideas of seemingly idealistic places African citizens often dream of escaping to. It brings up the topics of culture, heritage, and the intense brain drain that Nigeria has experienced over the years as young capable people often emigrate in search of better conditions. The theme perfectly blends the collective journey and future aspirations of the African artist community, while also fostering meaningful conversations about the social, political, and cultural landscapes. What does it mean to be an African artist and how they can find community and space for their art in their own countries while fostering a wide and rich community with other artists, were some of the main questions Art x Lagos aimed to help find answers to. "Promised Lands" aimed to inspire visitors by giving space to artists that reimagined and redefined possibilities for African art, science, and social activism.
Art x Lagos is not just a traditional art fair, though, since it also brings live music and film screenings to its repertoire. This year’s keynotes included artists and speakers such as El Anatsui, Njideka Akanyili-Crosby, Yinka Shonibare CBE, Wangechi Mutu, Bruce Onobrakpeya, Ibrahim Mahama, and more. Art x Live! which brought live music to the fair offered interesting fusions of traditional Fuji music with different contemporary genres and aimed to show the vast possibilities of different African sounds. When it comes to cinema, the fair screened 13 selected movies made by African and diaspora filmmakers that all fit under the topic of "Promised Lands".
Art x Lagos is making history year after year by promoting artists from African countries that are all too often overlooked in the global art scene. It represents a pillar of West African culture and an incredible way to promote the African art scene worldwide. Will you buy a ticket for the next one?
