Art X Lagos 2019: Upping the Ante

November 6, 2019

1 minute read

Chapel Hill Denham CEO Mr. Bolaji Balogun, ART X Lagos Chairman Mr. Atedo Peterside, Lagos State Governor Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, ART X Lagos Founder & Director, Tokini Peterside, Speaker of the House of Representatives Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, and Access Bank CEO Dr. Herbert Wigwe CEO of Access Bank

Lagos is becoming a fixture in the international art calendar, at least every November, thanks to ArtX Lagos, West Africa’s premier international art fair. Public institutions such as Tate Modern, Zeitz MOCAA, the National Museum of African Art at the Smithsonian, the Art Institute of Chicago and Centre Pompidou attend the fair in addition to international galleries that put on exhibitions. But, perhaps more importantly, Art X is growing a local following for art. Over 22,000 visitors, mainly Lagosians, attended the first three editions of Art X. The fourth edition, which took place from November 1 to 3, had to be shifted from the Civic Centre to a larger venue, Federal Palace Hotel.

According to Tokini Peterside, Founder and Director of Art X Lagos,while the event is a platform for emerging and established artists to develop their reputation amongst Nigerian and international collectors; an equally important objective is to rekindle the love for art that is inherent in many Nigerian cultures.

Vice President of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo

Nike Davies (Nike Art Gallery), Tokini Peterside and Prof. Yemi Osinbanjo

Tokini Peterside, Founder and Director of Art X Lagos

Atedo Peterside, Chairman of Art X Lagos

The fair had very interesting sections like the Art X Modern, a new section showcasing pioneers of African modern art from the mid-20^th century, presented by Stanbic IBTC Pensions. Bloom Art (Lagos, Nigeria), Mydrim Gallery (Lagos, Nigeria), and Gallery 1967 (Accra, Ghana) exhibited in this section

The Curated Projects, featured virtual reality, sound, installation, augmented reality and film. EmekaOgboh’s newly commissioned work of sound art, Lagos 20Hz-20HKz and Joel Benson’s virtual reality film, The Realities of Demas was exhibited.

Contemporary art galleries that exhibited include, Addis Fine Art (Ethiopia), Afriart Gallery (Uganda), Arthouse-The Space (Nigeria), Artyrama (Nigeria), Circle Art Gallery (Kenya), Ed Cross Fine Art (UK), Everard Read (UK), Galerice Cecile Fakhoury (Côte d’Ivoire), Galerie MAM Douala (Cameroon), Galerie Voss (Germany), Goodman Gallery (South Africa), Nike Art Gallery (Nigeria), Out of Africa Gallery (Spain), Retro Africa (Nigeria), SMAC Gallery (South Africa), SMO Contemporary Art (Nigeria), TAFETA (UK). Thought Pyramid (Nigeria), and Tiwani

Contemporary (UK).