Art X Lagos, West Africa's leading international art fair, celebrates its 10th edition in November 2025 under the theme 'Imagining Otherwise, No Matter the Tide.' Founder Tokini Peterside-Schwebig reflects on the fair's resilience despite Nigeria's currency crisis, economic volatility, the Covid-19 pandemic, and a softening global art market. This year's streamlined edition features 15 exhibitors from Nigeria, Uganda, Cameroon, Ghana, and the UK, hosted at the Federal Palace Hotel in Lagos. The fair coincides with the upcoming opening of the Museum of West African Art (MOWAA) in Benin City.
The milestone matters because Art X Lagos has become a vital catalyst for West Africa's art ecosystem, cultivating new collectors and fueling the growth of commercial galleries across the city. Its survival and adaptation amid macroeconomic headwinds demonstrate the region's cultural resilience and the growing global interest in African contemporary art. The fair's focus on deeper engagement with fewer exhibitors, combined with Nigeria's strengthening currency, signals a strategic shift toward sustainability and long-term impact on the African art market and its diaspora.