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As Tokini Peterside-Schwebig raises bar at 10 X edition
By Kehinde Aderemi
For four days, the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, was agog as dignitaries from across the world gathered on the island to explore the beauty of Africa’s ingenuity, creativity through the arts and crafts of talents that abound within the continent and beyond.
It was at the tenth edition of ART X Lagos – an event that brought arts enthusiasts together and climaxed on Sunday November 9th, 2025. Interestingly, the ART X Lagos saw the transformation of the Federal Palace Hotel into a sprawling gallery.
With the Marque, Ballroom, Waterfront Garden and Art X Cinema centres all bearing signatures of the unprecedented display of creative splendour, visible at the Main Section, Spotlight Galleries, Public Outdoor Spaces, Kids’ Corner, Speakers’ Corner, Development Forum and ART X Cinema.
For many who converged on the venue, either as art lovers, collectors, media or visitors, it was a time to salute the vision, tenacity and staying power of Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, founder of the art fair which has seemingly assumed a life of its own.
Going down the memory lane, Founder of ART X Lagos, Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, described the ten years of putting the prestigious art fair together under her belt as visionary and amazing testimonies of discovery.
She spoke on how her passion ten years ago birthed an idea that is fast becoming a phenomenon in Africa and by extension, the globe. Peterside-Schwebig also stated that this year’s edition was a milestone, with the theme, Imagining Otherwise, No Matter the Tide. Tagged “10X,”
“It marks a bold expansion of the fair’s mission to showcase the artistic ingenuity of Nigeria and the African continent. The 2025 fair explores resilience, hope, and creative possibility in contemporary African art,” she said.
The event, which started with an exhibition, was declared open on November 6, the 10 X edition marking the tenth anniversary of ART X Lagos, began officially on Friday, November 7, with a glittering and star-studded VIP preview, which was also held at the ART X Lagos Amphitheatre, Federal Palace Hotel.
The Art X Lagos VIP Preview, the reporter learnt, was the official opening of the 10th edition of ART X Lagos.
It was the West Africa’s leading international art fair, and the invitation-only evening offered collectors, patrons, and select media a big opportunity and an intimate first look at this year’s presentations before the public opening.
Meanwhile, prominent dignitaries that were present at the opening included Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu; founder and Chairman, ART X Lagos, Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, Executive Director, Zenith Bank, Dr Adobi Nwapa; Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr Wale Edun; Director, Afreximbank, Mr. Stephen Kauma; Chairman, Anap Jets FZE, Mr. Atedo Peterside, CON;
Also in attendance were high quality personalities like the Ambassador of France to Nigeria, Mr. Marc Fonbaustier; Mr. Bolaji Balogun, CEO Chapel Hill Denham; Dr. Jim Ovia, founder, Zenith Bank Plc and CEO, Stanbic IBTC Pension Managers, Mr. Olumide Oyetan.
Also present were stakeholders from the art, culture, and creative industries, with featured curators for the edition listed – Missla Libsekal, Curator-at-Large; Jumoke Sanwo, Curator of the Talent Advancement Platforms; Fikayo Adebanjo, Curator of Audience Engagement and Lanre Masha, Curator, ART X Live to guide the event.
According to the founder, ART X Lagos has over the past decade grown into a vibrant platform, celebrating African creativity, innovation, and cultural expression.
Besides, Peterside-Schwebig, during the launch heralding the opening in October, said the journey had been marked with lots of excitement and discoveries.
“This is my 10th time standing in front of an audience to introduce the year’s edition of ART X Lagos, and honestly, it fills me with such pride and gratitude to see you all here to commemorate this moment.
“The 2025 fair was a celebration and tribute to the resilience, impact and growth of what has become one of the transformative events held annually in Lagos over the last decade with an unforgettable setting and incredible array of art works, ideas and ventures”
Peterside-Schwebig stated further that she feels honoured that the fair is celebrating its tenth anniversary from the humble beginnings of a decade ago.
“It’s an honour to be standing here at the epicentre of the 10th anniversary edition of ART X Lagos.
“When I conceived ART X Lagos in 2016, I was imagining otherwise. Our theme for this year is Imagining Otherwise, No Matter the Tide, which is self-explanatory and simply means whatever life is throwing at you, look around you and take yourself to a higher place in your mind.
“Think about your abilities, your resources, everything around you, whether you’re an individual or an organisation and whoever you may be, either an artist or not.
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“There’s so much around us that can support us to go beyond the present difficulties and struggles, and that is what Imagining Otherwise, No Matter the Tide is about.
“Using Lagos as the site of discussion around that idea. We are using the mangrove plants that once filled Eko as a discussion about the resilience that can come even in places where you don’t think that kind of innovation can come from.
“So, yes, in 2016, I did imagine otherwise, because I saw my city, which to me, is one of the most powerful cities in the world, and I wanted my city to take its rightful place as a convener for the entire African continent.
“A convener that would then, on behalf of Africa, having gathered Africa, as was once done in FESTAC 77, bring the rest of the world here to encounter us at where we are at our most powerful.
“I set out to create this art fair and cultural festival. From day one, we were different from anything the world had ever seen. The world had seen large art fairs in London, Miami, Paris, Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi.
“They had been going for years to Cologne, Germany, but the world had never seen an art fair done the way Lagos would do it.
“And in trying to serve our city, in trying to serve our country, in trying to serve our continent, we became a truly unique experience platform and entity globally, because we started with home first, we then set out to galvanise the rest of the art sector, creating a satellite programme of events through which we could connect our international visitors as they came from all over the world, and thus spawn the birth of art week,” she stated.
While noting that the ongoing transformation in the creative terrain, from music, art, film, fashion and others in Nigeria means the efforts are worthy, Peterside-Schwebig also assured that with her efforts and that of her team, the future of art, films music and fashion in Nigeria is bright.
“Today, there are dozens of exhibitions and openings and festivals across Lagos around this week that revolve around Art X Lagos.
“Together with pioneers like Design Week Lagos, Lagos Fashion Week, you have ART X Lagos, Ake Art Festival, we are creating these platforms and experiences that show the world that there is brilliance in Nigeria and on the African continent and that we support our own and invite the world to work with us.
“Nigeria is crazy about Detty December, what happens when the world knows that Burna Boy, Tems, Rema, Wizkid, Davido, Ayra Star, and young people across the diaspora, and then all their international friends are coming to encounter Nigeria and this culture system, the platforms that I mentioned, what we are doing is creating a different kind of tourism experience, one that is centred in cultural ideas, pride, heritage and power.
“ART X Lagos is proud to have been the catalyst for that. We are proud to be in concert with others in this momentous movement.
Tokini Peterside-Schwebig also paid glowing tribute to J.D Okhai Ojeikere, a Nigerian who in the 1950s, decided to dedicate his life to photography and documenting our cultural heritage.
“Behind this is our ART X icon exhibition, the first time we are introducing the ART X Icon series which honours J.D Okhai Ojeikere.”
The occasion also celebrated the creative genius and titan, J.D Okhai Ojeikere. According to Peterside-Schwebig, celebrating J.D Okhai Ojeikere’s creative mastery meant digging far into the past to capture the elements of nationhood not just for the sake of nostalgia but to inspire the next generation of young people, including students who were involved for the 2025 edition.
“For the exhibition, you will see images of students in Ibadan in the 1950s, looking powerful in the 1960s and 1970s.
“J.D Okhai Ojeikere is known for his hairstyle series exhibited all over the world but the world has not seen these other images by him. It took us going to meet his family, the custodians of thousands of physical negatives, not digital images.
“Our curators went through 6,000 physical negatives to produce this exhibition of 200 artworks to try and contextualize six decades of work by this iconic Nigerian who decided to dedicate his life to documenting the reality as he saw it and the power of his country and his people.
“Arts enthusiasts can hardly believe it’s been ten years since Peterside-Schwebig first took those first, audacious steps to create ART X Lagos. Just like an old wine which tastes better with age, in over a decade, the fair has welcomed more than 700,000 visitors from over 170 countries, and ART X Lagos has played a vital role in cementing Lagos among the world’s most vibrant cultural capitals,” she said.
Sponsored by Zenith Bank, Chapel Hill Denham, Afrexim Bank, emPLE, Anap Jets, Air France, Miliki, EnjoyCorp Limited, the featured curators for the 10X edition, which was wrapped up on Sunday November 9, had Missla Libsekal as Curator-at-Large, Jumoke Sanwo as Curator, Talent Advancement Platforms, Fikayo Adebanjo as Curator, Audience Engagement and Lanre Masha: Curator, ART X Live.
From the beginning, ART X Lagos set out to be more than just an art fair. It has just done that as its frenzy continue to resonate across the continent.
As the curtains fell on this year’s edition, Peterside-Schwebig no doubt, has continued to leave her footprints on the sands of time, not only as an arts promoter who is always passionate about showcasing talents, but also as one woman whose passion has put Africans on the global map.
