ART X Lagos returns for a fourth year: 1 – 3 November

• West Africa’s premier international art fair set to move to a bigger venue.
• New sections to be added to the fair.
• 26 Galleries exhibiting at ART X Lagos 2019.
• Applications open for the Access Bank ART X Prize.

ART X Lagos, West Africa’s premier international art fair, is set to return for its fourth annual showcase. Launched in 2016, the illustrious event has since become a cornerstone of the Lagos art calendar, drawing in local patrons and a host of international collectors, curators, and critics each year.

Last year’s edition of ART X Lagos, saw a number of highlights, most notably the showcase of Ben Enwonwu’s masterpiece, ‘Tutu’ (1974), the highest valued work of Nigerian modern art at auction, which sold earlier in 2018 for £1.2 million ($1.67 million) – facilitated by Access Bank. Equally, globally acclaimed artist Yinka Shonibare CBE, the 2018 keynote artist, was celebrated with a special exhibition at ART X Lagos exploring his career highlights, whilst the fair’s diverse programming saw East African artists included for the first time.

Noteworthy guests at the 2018 edition included the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, who was the fair’s guest of honour, who was joined by Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Obi of Onitsha, Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe.

The 2019 edition of ART X Lagos will undergo several major changes, in order to fulfil its commitment to providing a truly unique cultural and lifestyle experience for the wide variety of audiences that attend the fair. The first major change is that the fair will be moving from the Civic Centre to a new, larger venue which will be revealed in September.
In addition to its exciting program of specially curated projects, interactive projects, talks, and live events, the 2019 edition of ART X Lagos will also see a number of other changes. 2019 will see the inclusion of ART X Modern, a section of the fair dedicated to the pioneers of African modern art in the 20th Century; a Performance Art section; and an increase from 18 exhibiting galleries to 26 galleries.

Teni “the entertainer” performing at ART X Live! 2018<br />

Founder, Tokini Peterside says, “2019 marks a dynamic and exciting year of growth for ART X Lagos. Our change in venue will enable us to diversify our programming, expand our audience, and offer a totally unique and fresh experience to our broad audiences that attend the fair. Each year we strive to make ART X Lagos better than the last, and we continue to devote ourselves to displaying a powerful overview of the creative output across Africa, providing a global platform for a wide cross-section of galleries and artists to engage with international and local audiences. ART X Lagos in 2019 is set to be bigger, better, and totally different from what people have experienced over the past three years, providing a truly memorable experience for all of our guests.”

ART X Lagos will officially kick off on Friday 1st November with a VIP Preview event, which will be strictly by invitation. Thereafter, the fair will open to the public on Saturday 2nd November and Sunday 3rd November, from 10 am to 8 pm on both days. As always, there will be many well-known exhibitors in attendance, both from Nigeria and internationally.

Amongst the 2019 lineup includes SMO Contemporary (Nigeria), Art House – The Space (Nigeria), Goodman Gallery (South Africa), SMAC Gallery (South Africa), Tiwani Contemporary (United Kingdom), Tafeta (United Kingdom), Galerie Cécile Fakhoury (Ivory Coast), Addis Fine Art (Ethiopia), Out of Africa Gallery (Spain), as well as other noteworthy international and regional galleries. Artists such as Peju Alatise (Nigeria), Abe Odedina (UK), Ruby Onyinyechi Amanze (Nigeria/USA), Sam Nhlengethwa (South Africa), and Kainebi Osahenye (Nigeria) will also display at the fair. A full list of artists and exhibitors will soon be announced on the official ART X Lagos website, artxlagos.com.

ART X Talks curated by Tayo Ogunbiyi will also hold on both public days of the fair, Saturday, November 2nd and Sunday 3rd November, from 3:00 pm to 7:15 pm each day. During these talks, key stakeholders in Africa’s art economy will discuss important themes pertinent to the state and evolution of contemporary art in Africa.
ART X Live!, the one-night-only interactive live art and music show, bringing together some of Africa’s most innovative and emerging talent, will also return, taking place on Saturday 2nd November at 10 pm for invited guests. Previous performers include Teni “the entertainer”, Odunsi “the engine”, Simi, and BOJ, and visual artists, Chukwuka Nwobi, Tunde Alara, and Williams Chechet.

Access Bank ART X Prize
In 2016, ART X Lagos launched the ART X Prize, a platform designed to support emerging artists, sponsored by Access Bank. The Prize has since evolved significantly over the past three years, undergoing several changes.

The Prize returns for 2019, renamed as the Access Bank ART X Prize, which is now open for applications until Friday 16th August. The Prize exists to bolster the efforts of emerging artists who have demonstrated a commitment to careers as professional visual artists and to contribute to the burgeoning contemporary art sector in Nigeria.
The selected winner will receive, a 3-month residency at Gasworks, London; ₦1.5 Million towards an ongoing project; a solo presentation of said project at ART X Lagos; and mentoring from industry professionals, and networking support to realize, promote, and contextualize the project.

The Prize will be judged by a jury of internationally acclaimed artists and practitioners, with several years of prestigious industry experience. The jury will include artists Emeka Ogboh, Zina Saro-Wiwa, Ibrahim Mahama, and Wura Natasha Ogunji, as well as Alessio Antoniolli, Director of Gasworks.
Keep an eye on the ART X Lagos official website for more details: https://artxlagos.com/
About ART X Lagos
Launched in 2016, ART X Lagos is West Africa’s first international art fair, designed to showcase the best and most innovative contemporary art from the African continent and its Diaspora, and to widen Nigeria’s connection to the art scene across Africa and internationally.
Since its debut, ART X Lagos has welcomed over 22,000 visitors to see the works of Africa’s leading established and emerging artists, including representatives of institutions such as the Tate Modern, Zeitz MOCAA, the National Museum of African Art at the Smithsonian, the Art Institute of Chicago and Centre Pompidou.

Through its contribution to the increased visibility of African artists, ART X Lagos aims to reinforce the visual arts as an important component of the creative industry in Nigeria and Africa, and to position Lagos as an emergent cultural capital on the continent. For more information please visit: www.artxlagos.com