Art X Lagos returned to the city for its 11th edition, running from November 5–8, 2026. Following last year’s milestone 10th anniversary, this year’s fair took on the theme “A New Chapter, A New Decade,” looking towards the future of contemporary African art and the possibilities of artistic expression across generations. At its heart was an exploration of how artists can draw from cultural inheritance while reimagining it through new perspectives, mediums and forms.

As one of the most anticipated events on Lagos’ cultural calendar, the fair once again brought together galleries, artists and collectors from across Africa and beyond, offering a snapshot of the ideas and practices shaping contemporary art.

From thoughtful explorations of cultural memory to ambitious large-scale works, these are some of the standout booths we spotted at this year’s edition of Art X Lagos.

1. O’DA Art

O’DA Art has built a reputation for thoughtful collaborations and considered presentations. Its booths at Art X Lagos are often difficult to miss, drawing visitors in with exhibitions that reward a closer look. This year was no different.

One of the gallery’s central presentations was The Weight of Air, a collaboration between Afeez Onakoya and Olayemi Fagbohungbe. The showcase offered another opportunity to see the gallery’s interest in bringing artists together through compelling visual conversations. It was a fitting example of the kind of collaborative approach that makes O’DA Art’s presentations worth seeking out.

2. Kó

 

Kó’s presentation brought together different generations of Nigerian artists in a conversation between modernism and contemporary practice. Featuring pioneering names such as Ben Enwonwu, Obiora Udechukwu and Tayo Adenaike alongside contemporary artists including Marcia Kure, Ozioma Onuzulike, Ngozi-Omeje Ezema, Ruth Ige, Abdus Salaam, Ayotunde Ojo and Diana Ejaita, the booth made a compelling case for artistic inheritance as something that continues to evolve.

The range of practices on display made the presentation particularly interesting. Enwonwu’s Untitled (Palm Grove) (1964) draws on landscape and everyday life to explore questions of memory and place, while Ozioma Onuzulike’s ceramic works revisit West African textile traditions through carefully assembled ceramic palm-kernel beads. Elsewhere, Ngozi-Omeje Ezema transforms the familiar vessel into sculptural installations that explore memory, identity and the human experience.

Rather than treating Nigerian modernism as a closed chapter, Kó brought its continuing influence into view, showing how ideas from earlier generations are being reinterpreted by contemporary artists. It was one of the fair’s more thoughtful engagements with this year’s theme.

3. Gallery 1957

Booth 5, where Gallery 1957 was situated, caught our attention early. Among its highlights was the presentation of Bringer of Light, the artist’s largest work to date, measuring an impressive 223 × 472 cm. According to the gallery, the work was originally commissioned for Where the Earth Remembers, its landmark group exhibition in Accra, which marked the gallery’s 10th anniversary.

The work is striking not only for its scale but also for its use of colour as a marker of structure and meaning. Across the larger presentation, the relationship between colour, composition and placement becomes a way of engaging with collective memory. It is a considered exhibition that demonstrates how artists can draw from shared histories while finding new ways to interpret them.

4. Nike Art Gallery

A consistent presence in Lagos and the wider West African art scene, Nike Art Gallery returned to Art X Lagos with a selection of established artists whose contributions have helped shape and sustain the region’s artistic landscape.

The booth featured works by Nike Okundaye and Tola Wewe, including a collaborative piece by the two artists, alongside offerings from Bruce Onobrakpeya, Diseye Tantua, Jimoh Buraimoh and Uche Edochie.

There is something particularly satisfying about seeing West Africa’s largest art gallery make such a substantial showing at West Africa’s largest art fair. The presentation brought together different generations and approaches to art-making, offering visitors an opportunity to encounter some of the names that have helped define the region’s creative history. It is an expected presence, certainly, but one that remains appreciated.

5. SMO Contemporary Art

SMO Contemporary Art’s presentation, Ways of Seeing, brought together five artists from Nigeria, Benin Republic, South Africa and Ethiopia: Moufouli Bello, Adeniyi Adewole, Nuru Abegaz, Nelson Makamo and Roshan Linsi. Working across painting, sculpture, drawing and mixed media, the artists explore how individual experiences, memories and cultural perspectives shape the ways we understand the world around us.

What makes the presentation particularly interesting is the range of approaches brought into the same space. Roshan Linsi’s practice questions the stability of perception, while Nuru Abegaz explores the energies that animate human life. Nelson Makamo’s work foregrounds the emotional depth of human experience, and Moufouli Bello examines the structures that shape our collective realities. Adeniyi Adewole, meanwhile, considers personal transformation through the idea of release.

The result is a presentation less concerned with offering one definitive interpretation of the world than with making room for different ways of seeing it. In a year when the fair is looking towards a new chapter, Ways of Seeing makes a compelling case for the importance of perspective and the possibilities that emerge when we look beyond what we already know.

6. Yenwa Gallery

Among the highlights of Yenwa Gallery’s presentation was the Art X Lagos debut of several exciting artists, including Omolola Coker, whose Make Yourself at Home offered a particularly compelling meditation on the idea of home.

Introspective and deeply personal, the work draws on the artist’s lived experience, using patterned grounds inspired by Adire to create a visual language rooted in cultural inheritance. It is this combination of personal memory and shared cultural references that gives the piece much of its potency.

Elsewhere in the booth, Joshua Nmesirionye presented works that felt almost like modern classics. Informed by more than three decades of sculptural practice, his pieces are sleek but full of character, commanding attention without overwhelming their surroundings. They also sit comfortably alongside Juwon Aderemi’s paintings, which bring their own sense of presence and scale to the presentation.

Together, the artists create a booth that feels cohesive without sacrificing the individuality of their practices. It is a strong showing that lives up to the gallery’s reputation.

7. Alexis Galleries

The standout work at Alexis Galleries was undoubtedly Dotun Popoola’s large-scale metal sculpture depicting a man astride a vibrantly designed motorbike. Both rider and motorcycle are rendered in an explosion of colour, texture and dimension, creating a commanding work that is difficult to walk past.

The sculpture was presented against a backdrop of paintings by Arinze Stanley depicting traditional headwear. The juxtaposition creates an interesting visual conversation around Nigerian identity, adornment and cultural expression. Together, the works bring different interpretations of cultural identity into the same space, making for one of the more memorable presentations at the fair.