ART X Lagos, West Africa’s leading international art fair and a major player in global contemporary culture, has unveiled its 10-Year Impact Report while announcing the programme highlights for its 2025 edition. The milestone event is set to take place from November 6 to 9, 2025, at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos.
For the past decade, ART X Lagos has redefined how African creativity is experienced and appreciated worldwide. The platform has evolved beyond a traditional art fair, welcoming over 700,000 visitors from 170 countries and supporting more than 500 of Africa’s leading artists.
“As we mark ten years of ART X Lagos, we honour the countless artists, curators, gallerists, collectors, and audiences who have shaped this journey with us,” said Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, Chairman and Founder. “This report not only reflects what we have achieved in our first decade but sets out our intent for the future, to deepen our role as a catalyst for Africa’s creative future, and to amplify the global presence of African voices,” she added.
Since its inception, ART X Lagos has become a major catalyst for Lagos’ art week, transforming it into one of the most anticipated highlights of Nigeria’s annual art season. The fair has inspired a city-wide celebration that has helped position Lagos among the world’s most vibrant cultural capitals, further boosting tourism, creative economy growth, and international investment opportunities in the art and culture sector.
According to the organisers, the 10-Year Impact Report serves as a testament to the fair’s influence, capturing insights and experiences from artists, gallerists, and cultural leaders who highlight how ART X Lagos has changed the global conversation about African creativity.
“This is a fair that has succeeded in transforming the futures of both artists and collectors. It has had an unmeasurable economic regenerative effect, and it has increased exponentially the cultural capital of Lagos,” said Yinka Shonibare CBE, Artist and Founder of the GAS Foundation.
Wale Lawal, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Republic, also praised the fair’s impact. “ART X Lagos has been nothing short of transformative. Over the last decade, I’ve witnessed the fair reignite both local and regional interest in Lagos as a critical creative hub.”
Maria Varnava, Founder and Director of Tiwani Contemporary, echoed the sentiment, saying, “ART X has become a new cultural language for Africa that is contemporary, rooted, and resolutely forward-looking.”
The 2025 edition, marking its tenth anniversary, will hold under the theme, “Imagining Otherwise, No Matter The Tide.” This year’s theme explores how imagination can help reimagine the future of Lagos and other global urban centres. It reflects on how people can use creativity to shape communities, identities, and shared futures. The programme aims to inspire innovative thinking and collaborative action among artists, cultural institutions, and audiences.
The 2025 programme promises several landmark events, including rare exhibitions, commissions, and cross-disciplinary platforms. Confirmed highlights include a special exhibition of J.D. ’Okhai Ojeikere’s classic photographs from the 1950s through the 1970s, alongside new installations by Nigerian artists Nengi Omuku and Temitayo Ogunbiyi.
Visitors can also look forward to the return of The ART X Library, a dedicated literary space featuring a special spotlight on Bruce Onobrakpeya. The fair will also feature ART X Live!, a music platform that fuses art and performance; ART X Cinema, which celebrates independent African filmmakers; and ART X Talks, where leading African and diasporic thinkers share their perspectives. Previous keynote speakers have included El Anatsui, Njideka Akunyili-Crosby, Yinka Shonibare CBE, Wangechi Mutu, Bruce Onobrakpeya, and Ibrahim Mahama.
As part of its long-term vision for sustainability and growth, ART X Lagos is deepening its investment in the next generation of African artists. This year, the fair launched Resonance, an annual residency programme in partnership with the Embassy of France in Nigeria and the Cité Internationale des Arts in Paris. It will also host the fifth edition of Art Across Borders, which highlights dynamic pan-African and diasporic artists under the age of 50.