Again, Art X Lagos spotlights African art, artists
…holds online December 2-9, 2020
No doubt, 2020 has been unprecedented due the corona virus pandemic, amid threats to humanity and challenges to businesses, as well as, the berthing of new normal in living and doing business across the world today.
That new normal has also shaped how events hold going forward, including Art X Lagos, West Africa’s premier international art fair.
Now in its fifth edition, the art fair, which debuted in 2016, will be taking place online this year, from December 2-9, 2020.
This year, the art fair, which is the flagship platform of Art X Collectives, is themed ‘Present States, Shared Futures’, and will seek to proffer new ideas on how global and national communities can move forward, assuredly, despite the challenges in our midst.
Unveiling the programmes for this year’s edition, Art X Collectives, the organisers of the art fair, noted that the programme assembled for ART X Lagos’ fifth anniversary fair is an important part of its response to the challenges and opportunities presented by the events of 2020. Also, for the first time, the fair will be anchored by an online exhibition of 200 artworks from leading galleries across Africa and the Diaspora, who are all united in their commitment to champion African creative expression.
The galleries include: Bloom Art Lagos (Nigeria), kó (Nigeria; formerly Arthouse-the Space), Nike Art Gallery (Nigeria), Ed Cross Fine Art (UK), Galerie MAM (Cameroon), Nubuke Foundation (Ghana), Louisimone Guirandou Gallery (Ivory Coast), SMO Contemporary Art (Nigeria), Galerie Cécile Fakhoury (Ivory Coast) and OOA Gallery (Spain).
Moreover, the artworks will be displayed on ARTXLAGOS.COM, a soon to be re-launched website, which has been designed as a dynamic digital platform to recreate the breadth and diversity of the fair virtually for a global audience.
As part of the exciting programmes for this year’s edition, Art X Lagos will present New Nigeria Studios; a landmark project capturing the critical movement for change in Nigeria, which was birthed from the documentation of the recent protests in Nigeria. The exhibition will feature artists that were recipients of the fair’s support initiative for 100 photographers who worked at the frontlines.
ART X Talks, another exciting programme, will return with a series of poignant virtual conversations with panelists including; Lemi Ghariokwu, Folarin ‘Falz’ Falana, Kelechi Amadi Obi, Yagazie Emezi, Lola Ogunnaike among others, while ART X Live! will present ‘Like Someone’s Watching’, a performance film starring Nigeria’s fastest rising music and art talent Oxlade, Tomi Owo, Jesse Uranta and DJ Camron, speaking to their aspirations for liberation and self-determination in the present moment.
As well, Art X Review will present ‘ The Wrap Up’, a conversation for young artists with Njideka Akunyili-crosby, an acclaimed international artist, speaking to the growth, place and potential of the artist in today’s world.
Commenting on this year’s virtual fair, Tokini Peterside, founder/ceo, Art X Collective, said: “With the whirlwind of protests that have swept across Nigeria, the ongoing pandemic being experienced around the world, and the global reckoning with centuries of inequality and violence against black bodies, 2020 has been a year of awakening. We feel privileged to be able to present the fifth edition of Art X Lagos. We share a vision for Nigeria’s future in which everyone can realise their fullest potential, and remain committed to providing platforms for expression, upliftment and inspiration.”
Meanwhile, she assured that all events are free and registration would open online shortly, while additional detailed information on programming would be announced in the coming days.
However, a major highlight of the art fair is the interface with the artists and their breathtaking works. One of such artists is Gbenga Offo, a Nigerian leading contemporary artist, who would be presented by Bloom Art Lagos at the online fair.
Born in1957, Offo is a must-see artist at the fair because of his creative ingenuity. After graduating as the Best Art and Graphics student from Yaba College of Technology, Lagos in 1984, Offo worked for a decade as an illustrator for Lintas and Insight Communications, leading advertising agencies, before becoming a full time studio artist in 1996. Since then, he has taken part in numerous solo and group exhibitions in the UK, the USA, and in Nigeria, with his works in leading corporate and public collections.
As well, Angèle Etoundi Essamba, a Diaspora artist, who is being presented by SMO Contemporary Art at the fair, is worth meeting too.
The Cameroonian graduate of the Photo Academy of Amsterdam, where she also lives, uses her work to unravel the intersection of social/gender issues and the identity of the African woman, which is her main subject. Her recent series tagged ‘Noir’ features intimate B&W portraits with pitch black shadows and backgrounds that blend together and dominate the frame to such an extent that her subjects are only partially revealed, hinting at the relationship between their interior and exterior self, while also conveying strength and beauty.