By Joan Odafe
Art X Lagos, a platform featuring exhibitions of artists and galleries in West Africa, has unveiled a 10-year Impact Report spotlighting how the continent had been projected on the global stage.
The report, released ahead of the 10th edition of Art X Lagos, highlighted the fair’s transformative journey from a local art exhibition to a global cultural platform.
In a statement on Thursday, the organisers said the fair had welcomed more than 700,000 visitors from 170 countries, and showcased over 500 of Africa’s leading artists in 10 years.
The Chairman and Founder of Art X Lagos, Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, said the report reflected both the achievements of the past decade and the fair’s vision 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 said.
She said the fair, since its debut in 2016, had become a cultural heartbeat of Nigeria’s art scene, catalysing the city’s annual art week and positioning Lagos among the world’s most vibrant creative capitals.
“The Impact Report stands as a testament to this influence, capturing the voices of artists, gallerists, and cultural leaders who articulate how Art X Lagos has transformed the global conversation around African creativity,” she said.
Peterside-Schwebig commended the countless artists, curators, gallerists, collectors, and audiences who had participated in the past 10 years of the fair.
Founder of GAS Foundation, Yinka Shonibare, said the fair 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,” Shonibare said.
The Founder and Editor-in-Chief of The Republic, Wale Lawal, said he had witnessed the fair reignite both local and regional interest in Lagos as a critical creative hub, over the last decade.
The Founder and Director of Tiwani Contemporary, Maria Varnava, said the fair was contemporary, rooted and resolutely forward looking.
The 10th edition, scheduled for Nov. 6 to Nov. 9, 2025, is with the theme, ‘Imagining Otherwise, No Matter The Tide.’
The fair will explore how imagination can inspire new possibilities for community, identity and shared futures in urban centres like Lagos.
Some of the highlights of the fair include of J.D. Okhai Ojeikere’s photographs from the 1950s to the 1970s, as well as new installations by Nigerian artists, Nengi Omuku and Temitayo Ogunbiyi.
The fair would also feature Art X Library, Art X Live, Art X Cinema, and Art X Talks, platforms showcasing exceptional African and diasporic talents.
