The newly expanded fourth edition of ART X Lagos – West Africa’s premier international art fair, showcasing the most innovative contemporary art from the African continent and its Diaspora – takes place from Friday 1 November to Sunday 3 November 2019.

The fair continues to deliver an exciting program of curated projects, talks and live events, to a broad audience of collectors, connoisseurs, cultural practitioners and art lovers.

For 2019, ART X Lagos undertakes major changes in order to fulfill its commitment to providing a truly unique cultural experience for a wide variety of audiences, locally and internationally, going beyond the traditional scope of an art fair. For the first time the fair introduces a curatorial theme, Art in Life | Life through Art, which will be applied to the fair’s non-gallery programming: Curated Projects, the Performance Pavilion, and the Interactive Projects. The theme investigates how art and creativity influences and enriches our daily lives – whether socially, aesthetically, economically or intellectually.

The number of participating galleries at the fair increases from 18 to 26, with many returning galleries occupying larger booths. Exhibitors include: Addis Fine Art (Ethiopia), Art House – The Space (Nigeria), Galerie Cécile Fakhoury (Ivory Coast), Goodman Gallery (South Africa), Out of Africa Gallery (Spain), SMAC Gallery (South Africa), SMO Contemporary (Nigeria), TAFETA (United Kingdom) and Tiwani Contemporary (United Kingdom). Notable artists include: Abe Odedina (UK), Ruby Onyinyechi Amanze (Nigeria/USA), and Sam Nhlengethwa (South Africa), with many more to be announced.

2019 also sees the introduction of ART X Modern, a dedicated section showcasing pioneers of African Modern art from the 20th century. A newly-launched performance art section, curated by artist Wura-Natasha Ogunji, further expands the fair’s live offerings. The ongoing curated and interactive projects, ART X Talks, and ART X Live!, return with several innovations.

In 2016, the ART X Prize was launched, as a platform designed to support emerging artists, sponsored by Access Bank. The Prize has evolved significantly over the past three years, undergoing several changes. The Prize returns for 2019, renamed as the Access Bank ART X Prize , providing funding and mentorship for emerging artists, as well as an international residency at Gasworks, London, for the winner. This year’s jury was formed of Ibrahim Mahama, Wura-Natasha Ogunji, Emeka Ogboh, Zina Saro-Wiwa, and Alessio Antoniolli (Director of Gasworks), five finalists have been selected: Ayomitunde Adeleke, Etinosa Yvonne, Christopher Nelson Obuh, Yadichinma Ukoha-Kalu, Peter Ebahi Okotor who will all exhibit in the Access Bank ART X Prize section of the fair in November.

On Thursday 12th September, self-taught documentary photographer, Etinosa Yvonne, emerged as the winner of the Prize, who will win a cash grant of N 1,500,000, a three-month residency at Gasworks, London, in 2020 , and a solo presentation at ART X Lagos in 2020.

The 2019 Full Programme

The Curated Projects return to the fair this year, presenting four exhibitions incorporating augmented reality, virtual reality, sound, installation, and film, enriching the viewers’ experience by expanding beyond the gallery booth format. Curated by the Fair’s Artistic Director, Tayo Ogunbiyi , this section will showcase artists both established and emerging, such as Emeka Ogboh , Joel Benson , Oumar Ball , Amanda Iheme , Nyancho Nwanri , and Ifebusola Shotunde .

Curated by artist Wura-Natasha Ogunji , The Performance Art Pavilion will feature a series of performances exploring the connection between art and ethics. Titled Small Acts, this section will comprise of three live performances by Nigerian artists Ngozi Schommers , Eca Eps , and Taiwo Aiyedogbon , developed specifically for ART X Lagos.

The fair’s highly sought after Talks Programme, ART X Talks , returns on Saturday 2nd November and Sunday 3rd November. This year ART X Talks seeks to offer arrayed considerations of the ways in which people live in and through visual art. Speakers this year include artist Emeka Ogboh, Wangechi Mutu, Antawan Byrd , Associate Curator at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Senegalese gallerist and designer, Aissa Dionne , as well as celebrated curator and art critic, N’Goné Fall, who will reflect on the career and accomplishments of the late Bisi Silva.

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Launched in 2016, ART X Lagos has since become a cornerstone of the Lagos art calendar, drawing local patrons and a host of international collectors, curators, and critics annually. 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 the Centre Pompidou.

artxlagos.com