Art X Lagos Recap; Lagos Biennial Announces Theme for 2026; Spotlighting Aisha Seriki's Orí Inú Project
Art X Lagos Recap
From October 31 to November 3 at the Federal Palace Hotel, 10 selected galleries showcased works from a diverse mix of emerging and established artists across Lagos, Accra, Uganda, Cameroon, and London. The galleries included were kó, Nike Art Gallery, Tiwani Contemporary, Afriart Gallery, O’DA Art Gallery, Alexis Galleries, Galerie MAM, Kanbi Projects, and Gallery 1957.
Developed by Ethiopian Independent curator Missla Libsekal, the theme for Art X Lagos 2024 was ‘Promised Lands’. This was an invitation for the audience to explore and engage ideas of ‘Promised Lands’, the notion of places, real or imagined, which one actively seeks to greatly improve one’s situation. This year, Art X Lagos continued fostering dialogue, prompting interconnectivity, and diverse collaborations.
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Established in 2010, the Addis Foto Fest is a biannual photography fair directed by Aida Muluneh. Produced by Desta for Africa (DFA), the international festival is held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. From October 31st to November 30th, 2024, the photography fair will showcase exhibitions, portfolio reviews, conferences, projections, and film screenings. Through the participation of the continental and as well international photography community, the fair’s main objective is to support the development, dissemination, and promotion of images from Africa.
Featuring works from 60 international photographers, including 45 from Africa, 5 from Asia, 7 from Europe, and 3 from North America, some of the exhibiting photographers from the continent are: Adedolapo Boluwatife, Ali Drabo, Amanuel Sileshi, Antalya Jaël, Anthony Monday, Apah Benson, Aubin Mukoni, Blessing Atas, Charles Egbengwu, Chelsea Odufu, and Yannis Guibinga, amongst others.
The 15th Biennale of Contemporary African Art in Dakar is Live!
The theme for the 15th Dakar Biennale, which is from November 7 to December 7, 2024, is “The Wake, Awakening, Xàll wi.” Featuring works of 58 artists from Africa and the diaspora, this year’s artistic selection illustrates extraordinary African creativity with a diversity of mediums, techniques, and artistic universes. From illustration arts to virtual reality, sound arts, sculpture, and photography, the selection process was guided by a commitment to inclusivity, in a search for balance that transcends the boundaries of matter, expression, and thought.
Some of the exhibiting artists are: Adel Adessemed, Sara Altantawi, Clay Apenouvon, Hiba Baddou, Oumar Ball, Mugabo Baritegera, Arébénor Bassene, Younès Ben Slimane, Jenna Burchell, Aika da Silveira, Mohamed Diop, Sokari Douglas Camp, Pascal Konan, Ronald Odur, Nyaba Leon Ouedraogo, and Abdou Ouologuem, amongst others.
Here is a full list of the exhibiting artists.
Lagos Biennial Announces Theme and Curatorial Team for 2026 Edition
Curated by Folakunle Oshun, and scheduled to take place October 17 – December 18, 2026, the theme for the 5th edition of the Lagos Biennial is “The Museum of Things Unseen.”
Chinyere Obieze, Furen Dai, and Sam Hopkins have been appointed as co-curators by the Artistic Director, Folakunle Oshun. The curators, drawn from diverse backgrounds, interests, and nationalities, all have a common intrinsic passion for dissecting structural frameworks. Furen Die (China) and Sam Hopkins (Kenya) bring to the fore their sensibilities as practicing artists who continually question the historical art cannons into which they are co-opted. Chinyere Obieze (Nigeria) will be exploring historical presentation formats from across the continent. The curators will engage critically and dialogically with museums, institutions, and artists co-developing The Museum of Things Unseen.
“The Museum of Things Unseen aims to bring together and exhibit rarely or never before seen artworks, examining the factors (imbalanced global art canon shaped by cultural bias, financial power, political influence, curatorial priorities, and conservation concerns, etc.) contributing to their unseenness. The intention is to open up the current bounding structures of these artworks, and inquire into the invisible labour, evolving identities, and concealed market forces shaping our cultural landscape. Contemporary artists will be invited to reinterpret and reimagine the works on display, questioning the invisibility of these works, rewriting the narratives within the context of a speculative museum, and offering new perspectives that illuminate the unseen dimensions of these pieces.”
– the curatorial team.
Artist Spotlight: Aisha Seriki
Aisha Olamide Seriki (b. 1998) is a Nigerian, London-based multimedia artist specialising in fine art photography and sculpture. Seriki works from a canon of personal histories which splice contemporary realities. Her practice is holistic and embodied, subverting formal photographic traditions. Cosmological systems such as the Yoruba Spiritual Tradition have informed the multisensory approach Seriki has to documentation, communication and creation. Through optics and trickery, she challenges the rigid imagination of self, creating space in the archive for a wider definition.
Seriki recently won the V&A Parasol Foundation Prize for Women in Photography for her series, Ori Inu. Orí Inú investigates the history of photographic 'keepsakes', drawing on the metaphor of the calabash and the comb as cultural symbols of African diasporan histories, empowerment, ritual and self-care. Grounded by the principles of Ìṣẹ̀ṣe (Yorùbá Spiritual Tradition), her work uses photo-manipulation techniques to explore the relationships between photography and the self.
“For me, Orí Inú represents my decision to reconnect with my love of photography. The project signals the shift from my past work, from a didactic to a poetic approach. Through this project, I have been able to develop my practice by exploring the boundaries between the photograph and the object, as well as the social relationship that manifests with the individual and the keepsake. I am particularly inspired by objects such as the locket, and the cameo, and their relations with photography. Stimulated by this history, I have been designing and developing a series of bronze combs sculptures, to sit alongside my photographic prints. My connection to the comb is informed by its relationship with African diasporan histories, where it surpasses functionality to become a cultural symbol of empowerment, ritual and self-care.”
On view:
Proper Love: The Belvedere is hosting Ghanaian painter Amoako Boafo's first museum show in Europe. (October 25, 2024 - January 12, 2025).
Zvakazarurwa: Kettle’s Yard presents new and recent works by Zimbabwean artist Portia Zvavahera's first solo exhibition at a public gallery in Europe. (October 22, 2024 – February 16, 2025).
Au-delà du jardin, il y a la mer [Beyond the garden is the sea]: Artist Elladj Lincy Deloumeaux presents his second solo show at Galerie Cécile Fakhoury – Abidjan. (October 3 - December 28, 2024).
