Editorials
5 Standout Booths at ART X Lagos: Art Report Africa’s Director’s Picks
Art Report Africa director Sunshine Alaibe shares five favourites from ART X Lagos 2026, from striking sculptures and compelling paintings to an exhibition revisiting the legacy of Nigerian ceramicist Ladi Kwali.
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Afeez Onakoya and Olayemi Fagbohungbe, O’DA Art
Afeez Onakoya and Olayemi Fagbohungbe’s The Weight of Air, presented by O’DA Art, caught Alaibe’s attention for the different ways the two artists approach the human body. Onakoya’s paintings have an almost dreamlike quality, which Alaibe describes as “allegorical”. His figures appear both solid and fluid, their forms softened rather than sharply defined. Fagbohungbe, whose practice draws on architecture and sculpture, takes a different approach to form and physical presence. The pairing works, Alaibe observes, because the artists are not trying to do the same thing; they’re not “going in the same direction with their creative expression”.

Installation view of Alexis Galleries’ booth at ART X Lagos 2026, featuring works by Dotun Popoola and Arinze Stanley. Photo: Art Report Africa.
Dotun Popoola and Arinze Stanley, Alexis Galleries
Some booths are impossible to miss, and Alexis Galleries had one of them. Positioned along the route into the fair’s amphitheatre, the gallery’s presentation immediately “catches the eye”, Alaibe says, particularly Dotun Popoola’s large metal sculptures. Nearby, Arinze Stanley’s remarkably detailed drawings invite visitors to move closer and examine the surfaces. Both artists also have a joint exhibition at Alexis Galleries, Gèlè, running until 7 November in Victoria Island, where they explore the Nigerian headwrap through sculpture and hyperrealistic drawing.

Installation view of Adegbola Gallery’s booth at ART X Lagos 2026. Photo: Art Report Africa.
Uche Okeke, Aaron Kudi and Haneefah Adam, Adegbola Gallery
Adegbola Gallery’s booth might be easy to walk past, but Alaibe encourages visitors to “go deep into it” as it rewards a closer look. Its appeal becomes clearer when you spend time with the individual works and consider how they have been arranged. Drawings by Nigerian modernist Uche Okeke sit alongside contemporary works by Aaron Kudi and Haneefah Adam. The pairing reflects a central interest of the gallery: presenting younger artists while maintaining a relationship with Nigeria’s modernist history. Rather than treating these generations separately, the booth allows visitors to consider them within the same space.

Installation view of TAFETA’s booth at ART X Lagos 2026. Photo: Art Report Africa.
Babajide Olatunji, Bunmi Agusto, Yinka Shonibare and Isis Dove-Edwin, TAFETA
TAFETA’s return to ART X Lagos is another notable mention. Among the works are portraits by Babajide Olatunji, whose meticulous handling of detail makes for arresting figures. The booth also features Bunmi Agusto, Yinka Shonibare and Isis Dove-Edwin. Alaibe describes the space as “airy and open”, with enough room for each work to hold its own. She enjoyed the individual artists as much as she enjoyed how comfortably their works sit together.

Installation view, Ladi Kwali: Beyond the Vessel, ART X Lagos 2026. Photo: Art Report Africa.
Ladi Kwali: Beyond the Vessel, ART X ICON
Alaibe’s final selection moves past the booths to Ladi Kwali: Beyond the Vessel, an exhibition curated by Jareh Das. Kwali is familiar to many Nigerians as the woman on the back of the ₦20 note. But how much do we know about the ceramicist herself, the techniques she mastered and the generations of potters who learnt from her? The exhibition examines that history through ceramics and archival materials, tracing Kwali’s practice from the Gbari pottery traditions she inherited to her work at the Pottery Training Centre in Abuja, now Suleja. It also acknowledges women such as Kande Ushafa and Asibi Ido, whose contributions are part of the same history. This is what makes the exhibition moving to Alaibe: how it offers a fuller account of an artist whose achievements are often reduced to her appearance on the ₦20 note; how it draws attention to the skill, teaching and influence through which Kwali helped shape Nigerian ceramics. “The entire thing is just incredible to see,” Alaibe says.
ART X Lagos, now in its 11th edition, runs until 8 November at the Federal Palace, Lagos.
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