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7 Exciting African Artists To Watch Out For At ART X Lagos 2022

By Guardian Nigeria

03 November 2022   |   2:09 pm

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Art X Lagos, West Africa’s biggest international art fair, is back with both physical and digital events. The first-of-its-kind event celebrates artistic excellence from Africa and the diaspora with dynamic art experiences, Art X Talks, and Art X Live!

Art X Lagos

Art X Lagos, West Africa’s biggest international art fair, is back with both physical and digital events. The first-of-its-kind event celebrates artistic excellence from Africa and the diaspora with dynamic art experiences, Art X Talks, and Art X Live!

This year’s edition is themed, ‘Who Will Gather Under the Baobab Tree?’ Explaining the theme, Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, founder of Art X Lagos, said, “Our invitation to our audiences this year is to gather with us, to [engage in] dialogue and contemplate Africa’s past, the continent’s centuries-old wisdom, histories, philosophies, and more.”

The fair returns with its largest exhibitors with over 100 artists. The in-person event holds at the Federal Palace in Victoria Island, Lagos, from November 4th to the 6th, while the online fair opens on November 2nd through November 21st on Artsy.

Before the event, here are seven exciting African artists to look out for at ART X Lagos 2022:

Victor Ehikhamenor 

He is a Nigerian multimedia artist, photographer and writer. Known for producing abstract, symbolic and politically/historically motivated works, he is presenting a special project titled ‘Ulin-nóifo, The Lineage That Never Ends.’ It dives into shaped Benin’s cultural and political histories while contemplating new omens for Nigeria’s present and future realities.

Boris Nzebo 

He is a self-taught artist who worked as a sign painter before devoting himself to the plastic arts. He explores identity and inequality with traditional hairstyles in urban Africa. Boris’ work has been exhibited in Cameroon, England, France, Switzerland, Haiti, the USA and Brazil.

Linda Dounia

She is a self-taught artist, designer, and curator born and raised in Senegal who explores the social construction of power and the cultural implications of how it is distributed. For Art X Lagos, she uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to showcase a beautiful, dystopian world with a special project called ‘Once Upon a Garden.’

Samson Akinnire

He is known for his artistic production of abstraction, realism, portraiture and post-impressionistic works. Using waste, his daring art invites the audience to come up with their interpretation. Samson’s work has been seen nationally and internationally.

Ranti Bam 

She is an artist who works with clay, paintings and sculptures. Going off the fair’s theme, Bam’s performance ‘Sowing Seeds in Heartland explores the symbolic connection between her hearths and the Baobab tree — spaces that Africans have gathered around to share stories, harness the wisdom and seek spiritual and material sustenance.

Mónica de Miranda

She is an artist, filmmaker, and researcher whose work encompasses film, photography, drawing, film, installation, video and sound. Her work draws from urban archaeology and affective geographies. 

Léonce Raphael Agbodjelou

Trained by his father, world-renowned photographer Joseph Moïse Agbodjelou, Léonce is easily one of the leading photographers of the Republic of Benin. His work captures the everyday life of a generation caught between tradition and progress. 

ART X Lagos is sponsored by Access Corporation, Afreximbank, Anap Jets, Chapel Hill Denham, StanbicIBTC Pension Managers and Zircon Marine.

Click here to buy your ticket and experience art like never before the 7th edition of ART X Lagos.