Following months of preparation, it was our pleasure to welcome last week a wide range of attendees to ART X Lagos, including collectors from all over the world, royal dignitaries, world renowned artists, gallerists, and enthusiasts.
We were delighted to witness guests experiencing the cutting edge contemporary African art at ART X Lagos. Thank you to everyone for making ART X Week such a special occasion.
Our most ambitious fair to date, it was our honour to showcase Ben Enwonwu’s world famous ‘Tutu’, 1974, at the fair, the painting’s first public showcase in Lagos in over 40 years. We are exceptionally grateful to our gold sponsor Access Bank Plc for making this historical moment happen at ART X Lagos.
Equally, we were delighted to host a special project by Yinka Shonibare MBE, which explored his career highlights. It celebrated the range of his work, from video to public sculpture.
With artists from 18 galleries, guests were able to indulge in and experience some of the most innovative visual art that our continent and diaspora has to offer. We showcased works from artists across Africa, including leading talents such as Cyrus Kabiru, Joy Labinjo, Alimi Adewale, Paul Onditi, Ranti Bam, Sokari Douglas Camp CBE and Victor Ekpuk.
Our interactive projects, curated by A Whitespace Creative Agency explored new age media, including virtual reality art. Meanwhile, ART X Prize with Access 2018 winner Bolatito Aderemi-Ibitola, impressed guests with her multimedia solo exhibition, once again stretching the boundaries of contemporary African art.
On Saturday night we took over the car park of the Civic Centre for our one-night-only showcase, ART X Live!, which was a captivating affair. The collision of live music and visual art included astounding live performances from BOJ, Teni “the Entertainer”, and Ghanaian singer Amaarae.
Accompanied by visuals from up and coming artists Tomisin Akins, Fadekemi Ogunsanya, and Chukwuka Nwobi, the show had our audience indulging in a multisensory nostalgic experience, capturing the sounds and visuals of our heroes past. More highlights of the show will be released on our social media pages over the coming days and weeks so make sure you stay tuned!
ART X Talks 2018, curated by Missla Libsekal, turned out to be a highlight of the weekend. We welcomed leading speakers, artists, and curators to discuss, dialogue, and share ideas on contemporary African identities, amongst other pressing issues. It was our pleasure to have speakers such as Yinka Shonibare MBE, who gave our Keynote Talk, as well as Chika Okeke-Agulu, HRM Igwe Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, and Aboubakar Fofana.
If you were unable to attend the Talks or view them via Facebook live, stay tuned to our social media pages for our videos which will be released soon.
An event of this scale would hardly be possible without the committed investment from our sponsors. We would like to especially thank Access Bank, our Gold Sponsor, for their support of ART X Lagos from its inception. Thank you also to The Ford Foundation, Stanbic IBTC Pensions, Anap Jets, H2Oh!, Chapel Hill Denham, Leadway Assurance, Lufthansa, Budweiser, and Absolut.
Thank you to our media sponsors Trace TV, DSTV, EbonyLife TV, Smooth FM, The Beat 99.9FM, The Guardian NG, and Business Day.
We are also thankful to our media partners, Accelerate TV, Artsy, Nataal, OkayAfrica, Bella Naija, Ventures Africa, Konbini, The Sole Adventurer, The Art Momentum, Somethings We Africans Got, Art News Africa, and Contemporary And.
Last, but certainly not least, we would like to thank our lifestyle partners, ALARA, Banke Kuku, Miliki, Perrier Jouet, and the Wheatbaker Hotel, as well as our many other partners within the ART X family.
And finally, a warm thank you to you, our patrons, for your continued support of West Africa’s Premier International Art Fair.
We look forward to engaging you again, and will be in touch soon.
Until then, we send our warmest wishes.
