Portrait of Ladi Kwali decorating a pot, William Alfred Ismay (W. A. Ismay). Photograph of Ladi Kwali at a pottery demonstration in England. 1970s. York Museums Trust. The W. A. Ismay Bequest, 2001. (Photo: W. A. Ismay, © York Museums Trust)
The fair ART X Lagos returns to Federal Palace in Lagos, Nigeria, for its 11th edition, A New Chapter, A New Decade. Now in its second decade, the forthcoming event centers on cultural inheritance and how artists can transform histories and traditions into new forms of contemporary expression.
Founded by Tokini Peterside-Schwebig in 2016, ART X Lagos has become an international platform for contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora. Its 2026 edition looks to Nigerian artists, architects, and educators who shaped modernism by drawing on their cultural backgrounds. The centerpiece is ART X ICON, which hosts Ladi Kwali: Beyond the Vessel, curated by Dr. Jareh Das. The exhibition examines the legacy of pioneering Nigerian potter Ladi Dosei Kwali through her ceramics. It also includes pottery by women who worked alongside and after Kwali, including Kande Ushafa and Asibi Ido, as well as traditional pottery from Gbari, Nupe, and Bida makers.
The project extends into ART X ICON: The Masterclass, which selects 10 emerging artists for workshops and conversations with leading figures in African art across disciplines including ceramics, painting, sculpture, photography, film, textiles, digital practice, and performance.
The 2026 program also includes ART X Cinema, ART X Live!, and ART X Talks, alongside Art Across Borders, which brings together six artists from five African regions and the Caribbean.
ART X Lagos 2026 takes place November 5 to 8, 2026, at Federal Palace in Lagos, Nigeria.
ART X Lagos brings 15 galleries from Africa and its diaspora to Federal Palace in Lagos for its 11th edition.
ART X Lagos Founder, Tokini Peterside-Schwebig
ART X LIVE Curator, Lanre Masha
Kande Ushafa (Legacy Arts Foundation (LAF). (Photo: Legacy Arts)
ART X Lagos Speakers, Corner Co-Curator, Fikayo Adebajo
Curator Dr. Jareh Das examines Ladi Kwali’s lasting influence through ceramics, archival material, and traditional pottery in ART X ICON: Ladi Kwali: Beyond the Vessel.
Photo of Curator of ART X ICON: Ladi Kwali: Beyond the Vessel, Jareh Das. (Photo: Malick Welli)
Kwali blue and white pot, Adegbola Gallery. (Photo: Bonhams)
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ART X Lagos expands beyond the gallery booths with installations, film, music, and participatory projects that connect cultural history with contemporary life.
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