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The founder of ART X Lagos, Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, has said Africans are now collecting African art, a shift she credits to the platform’s first 10 years, as the fair opens its 11th edition in Lagos.
Peterside-Schwebig spoke at the fair, which holds on Friday at The Federal Palace, Victoria Island, under the theme “A New Chapter, A New Decade.”
She said ART X Lagos was set up in 2016 to change the belief among young African artists, especially Nigerians, that they had to leave the continent to build globally resonant careers.
According to her, the fair has built a world-class platform in Lagos that serves local audiences while keeping an international outlook. She said the rest of the world now comes to ART X Lagos to see how it works.
She said the fair has brought international collectors and institutions to Nigeria and grown the Lagos art season from five to seven satellite events to over 15 a year.
Looking ahead, she said the platform would focus on unearthing African history, showcasing the continent’s mastery and excellence, and encouraging Nigerians to value what is created locally rather than seek international validation.
The founder said the number of galleries in Lagos has grown extraordinarily since 2016, and that other institutions, including museums, are emerging. She added that she wants to see more.
She said she wants art education in Nigeria to return to the heights of the 1950s, 60s and 70s, along with more international-standard museums, research and learning spaces, and arts festivals.
On funding, Peterside-Schwebig said the fair is largely supported by Nigerian corporations, some of which have backed it for 11 years without a break.
She said the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) supports Arts Across Borders, a programme that brings artists from different regions of the continent to Lagos for cultural exchange.
She described relations with the state and federal governments as very positive. She said the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Jumoke Oduwole, visited the fair on Friday and met artists. She added that Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu was expected and had attended almost every year since taking office.
According to her, he once said ART X was making Lagos a tourism destination.
She said the fair’s youth programmes include a schools programme that drew almost 800 pupils from Lagos schools and communities on Friday, as well as a Master Class for young artists and a Development Forum where artists and curators meet global institutional voices.
