Art X Lagos Stages a Triumphant Return: The only physical Art Fair on the African Continent since 2020
10 November 2021
10 November 2021
Art X Lagos Stages a Triumphant Return: The only physical Art Fair on the African Continent since 2020
Art X Lagos rich programme of curated and interactive projects, talks and events staged a triumphant return to the Federal Palace in Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria with the first in-person art fair to take place anywhere on the African continent since the pandemic in 2020.
The physical fair closed on Sunday 7 November amid reports of strong sales, enthusiastic collector attendance and gallery satisfaction across the board, while the online edition will continue online until 21 November.
Tokini Peterside, ART X Collective Founder & CEO said: “This year’s ART X Lagos created a place for artists, gallerists, collectors and curators to come together and celebrate the vibrant African art scene. The response to our first physical fair in two years has been astounding – demonstrating the critical role that the fair plays in Africa’s art ecosystems. Many of the 30 galleries who joined us have experienced robust sales and we are excited to welcome even more of them at ART X Lagos 2022. We thank all of our supporters, galleries, exhibiting artists and special projects artists for such a brilliant showing that demonstrated once again Lagos’ dynamism as a leading art capital in Africa.”
For its sixth edition – and its largest fair to-date – ART X Lagos 2021 brought together 30 leading international galleries from 15 countries around the world to present work both online and in-person: Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, France, Germany, Ghana, Kenya, Martinique, Morocco, Nigeria, Sénégal, South Africa, Spain, Uganda, United Kingdom, and USA. Together, they showcased 120 artists from over 30 countries, from Angola to Zimbabwe, Morocco to Martinique, and Egypt to South Africa. Of the 30 exhibitors, 15 joined ART X Lagos for the first time – marking a period of growth for the fair despite the challenges wrought by Covid-19.
There were strong sales across the board, with several galleries reporting sell-out presentations, including Afriart Gallery, DADA Gallery, Pacers Gallery, OOA and KÓ’s special presentation of work by Yusuf Grillo.

Arclight ‘After She Spoke’ 2021 – Digital Collage
ART X Lagos’ first ever collaboration with NFT platform SuperRare was a storming success with more than 75% of the artists taking part in the NFT auction selling their works for above the reserve price of 1ETH ($4500). The collaboration was born out of the art fair’s commitment to develop the enormous potential of NFTs for artists on the continent – demonstrated by ART X Lagos creating a financially risk-free environment for the emerging artists taking part by covering all costs associated with minting NFTs and staging the digital exhibition ‘Reloading…’ at the fair. Stand-out sales included Moonsundiamond’s record sale of Standard Blues for 2.75ETH ($12,400) and Arclight’s sale of Napoleon No Go Pass Dis One for 2.2ETH ($9,900) – both sold in the first 24 hours of the auction.
ART X Talks ran over the course of the art fair, bringing together experts across Nigeria, the African continent, and the rest of the world to discuss timely topics including: the role of collecting on the continent, the dangers of stereotyping African art, demystifying NFTs and their uses by African artists, and a panel discussion with Ngaire Blankenberg – the newly appointed Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art.
This year ART X Live! the dynamic fusion platform for art and music created by ART X Lagos, presented ‘Forward Ever’, a live performance watched both in person and virtually around the world, curated by Lanre Masha, Faridah Folawiyo and Ayo Lawson, produced by BigFoot and Pheelz and featuring musicians Lojay, AYLØ, Dami Oniru alongside the visual artists AMKMQ and Fez.

Idris Veitch ‘Busted, Pumping Turtle Heart’ 2021 – Digital Collage
The Curated Projects at ART X Lagos 2021 centered on the (re)imagination of the future of the African continent, including the aftermaths of colonisation and slavery, along with the consequences of political regimes that contribute to inequality and socio-political exclusion. Future Africa presented newly produced and commissioned artworks by David Alabo and Adéọlá Ọlágúnjú that responded to the conceptual framework of the theme: The restful ones are not yet born. Visitors to the fair experienced David Alabo’s interactive artwork One Africa, Three Futures which addresses the limiting ideas of growth in Africa and Adéọlá Ọlágúnjú’s allegorical, three-channel video work ÌYÁBỌ̀: a re-BIRTH story.
The second Curated Project – titled Unfolding Layers of Time – was a multi-layered immersive installation composed of paintings, sculptures, and photographs by Nigerian artist Kelani Abass who proposed the possibility of multiple narratives and histories, taking from the examination of his family archives in response to the questions: How can we imagine an African community and therefore a collective memory for today and tomorrow? And – How can personal archives contribute to the making of that collective memory?

Henry Mzili Mujunga ‘Watching you watching nature’ 2021 Oil on Canvas
ART X Lagos 2021 also staged an Interactive Project in celebration of the fair’s return to a physical format. Titled We Are Here and curated by A Whitespace Creative Agency, it brought together Kaduna-based film collective The Critics and the Lagos-based sound artist Aye! and teamed them up with ART X Lagos’ daily visitors to produce a dynamic short film.
The Access Bank ART X Prize – Nigeria’s leading award for emerging visual artists – also returned after a hiatus due to Covid-19. The 2019 winner, documentary photographer Etinosa Yvonne presented a solo exhibition at the fair in November, curated by Wura-Natasha Ogunji. The winner of the Access Bank ART X Prize 2021 – Chigozie Obi – will present work at ART X Lagos 2022 after a residency at Gasworks in London, a cash prize and mentorship.
About ART X Lagos
ART X Lagos was created to showcase and support contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora. Founded in 2016 by Tokini Peterside, the fair has since become a cornerstone of the African art sector. The first of its kind in West Africa, ART X Lagos goes beyond the traditional bounds of an art fair and has welcomed over 40,000 visitors to date.
Since its debut, ART X Lagos has grown to host galleries and artists from over 30 countries and become renowned for an ambitious programme that includes ART X Talks, ART X Live! and specially curated interactive projects which have featured an array of emerging and established artists from the continent and diaspora.

Adeniyi Okeowo ‘ROYALTY’ 2021 – Digital collage
About ART X Collective
ART X Collective is Africa’s first cultural management company, creating platforms and experiences that celebrate and illuminate the breadth of Africa’s creative expression. Working closely with the continent’s most exceptional creatives and cultural entrepreneurs, ART X Collective seeks to develop energised, empowered and evolving identities for Africa through the arts and creativity.
The company’s flagship platforms include ART X Lagos – West Africa’s first international art fair; the ART X Prize – Nigeria’s leading award for emerging artists; and ART X Live! – a dynamic showcase and launchpad for Africa’s fastest-rising musicians and visual artists.
Team
ART X Lagos is produced by ART X Collective Limited. Its executive team is supported by an Advisory Board comprised of Constantine Labi Ogunbiyi, Dudun Peterside, Evelyn Oputu, Fatima Wali-Abdurrahman, Femi Lijadu, Jess Castellote, Junaid Dikko, N’Goné Fall, Papa Omotayo and Reni Folawiyo.
About Tokini Peterside

Founder & CEO of Art X Lagos Tokini Peterside. Photo credit: Lakin Ogunbanwo
Tokini Peterside is an entrepreneur and strategic advisor dedicated to defining a new narrative about Africa through its culture and creative industry. She is the Founder & CEO of ART X Collective. After working extensively with brands in culture, fashion, and luxury, she created and launched ART X Lagos in 2016 with a three-fold purpose to widen Nigeria’s connection to the contemporary art scene in Africa and internationally; to contribute to the increased visibility of contemporary artists from Africa; and to position Lagos as a cultural capital on the continent. She simultaneously launched the platforms ART X Live! and the ART X Prize to support emerging talent. An avid art collector and design enthusiast, Tokini currently sits on the boards of Yinka Shonibare’s GAS Foundation and the Lagos Fashion Awards, among other organisations. Tokini was named one of the 40 Under 40 in Africa by Apollo in 2020; one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company in 2019; while in 2018 she was featured on the Quartz Africa Innovators list of the continent’s Top 30 pioneers. She holds an MBA from INSEAD and a law degree from the London School of Economics.
Digital content from ART X Talks and ART X Live! are now available via the ART X YouTube Channel
All images courtesy Midas PR / Art X Lagos