Art Season: Things to look forward to in October

Black Muse Art Festival returns to Benin City under the theme "For Those Who Astonish the Gods", with a new sculpture by Jonathan Chinedu Chambalin that explores perseverance, cultural memory and personal transformation.

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.

In a windowless Addis Ababa basement, Yared Olivelli’s layered paintings ask what an archive can prove and what a doorway lets in.

Sixty years after Flora Nwapa’s novel appeared, her great-niece revisits it and finds that what once read as failure now reads as life. Flora Nwapa: Efuru at the Threshold ran at Didi Museum, Lagos, from 24 to 31 October 2026. This is an excerpt from Ada Kalu’s essay in its accompanying publication.

In a Peckham car park beneath a working railway, Okri performed three decades of writing alongside eighteen young people who had met only the day before. The result was tender, at times terrifying, and deliberately unresolved.

FF Projects’ limited-edition volume, launched at Alára Lagos on 31 October, sets two Nigerian-British artists in conversation and invites a chorus of voices to answer.

Mémoire Matérielle”: Can Materials Hold Memory? The exhibition at 193 Gallery in Paris rethinks memory as a material process through works that explore preservation, repair, transmission and colonial afterlives.

As the festival marks its 10th edition, its founder and creative director reflects on a decade of Nigerian photography and the questions raised by artificial intelligence.

In Abuja, a single open bookshelf is set against the quiet closure of the law. The staging is too sparse for its subject; the performance and the manuscript that travel with it are not.

Thread that turns into faces, bronze that becomes a crowd, ceramic coral clinging to a sunken object, a "painting" that turns out to be a quilt: the Nigerian artist Jacqueline Suowari takes us on a tour of the fair at the Javits Center in New York, pointing out the five works that rewarded her for stepping closer.

Switzerland's return of eighteen Benin Bronzes and four Ikom monoliths is a milestone in a restitution movement that is starting to outpace the institutions meant to receive it.

Dianna Offor, nicknamed "God's Artist," is a Nigerian-born visual artist, whose work is dedicated to expressing the essence of God and importance of faith in todays society. Currently living in Ireland–where she recently acquired a diploma in studio art painting, Offor has spent the last three years depicting the theme of Hope and Love through her biblical abstract paintings.

Last week, Art Report Africa served as the official media partner for New Narratives and Singular Communication in Arts Journalism: The Museo del Prado Experience — a two-day international workshop held at the Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art, Pan-Atlantic University, Lagos, organised in partnership with the Embassy of Spain in Nigeria and Casa África through its #PeriodismoÁfrica programme.

On 14 June 2026, the Obama Presidential Center unveiled "The Obamas: Springing Forth" — a large-scale work by Njideka Akunyili Crosby, rendered in acrylic, coloured pencils, charcoal, and transfers on paper, measuring 108 by 120 inches. It now hangs in the Hope and Change Lobby of the museum's main building, free and open to the public, before the Centre's official grand opening on Juneteenth. It is the first official portrait of the former President and First Lady together.

The 2026 Venice Biennale is, on paper, the most African edition in the exhibition's 131-year history. But what does that actually mean — and who does it serve?

The Pavilion of Zimbabwe announces its participation in the 61st International Art Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia, opening in April 2026 under the artistic direction of Adriano Pedrosa and the central exhibition In Minor Keys.

There's a voice that lives inside us, often waiting in silence. It's a part of ourselves that we sometimes bury, a quiet shadow that only finds expression when we allow it to. Yusuff Aina's latest character, "Voied," is a compelling new light for this hidden self.

In response to a growing chorus in the global art world declaring that “Black figuration is over,” O’DA Art Gallery’s latest exhibition, Black Figuration is Alive and Well, offers a firm and timely rebuttal. Bringing together a dynamic group of contemporary artists working across painting, sculpture, photography, collage, and digital media, the exhibition argues for figuration not as trend or aesthetic repetition, but as a vital language of presence, imagination, and agency.

In the nuanced world of art collecting, the process is often as significant as the acquisition itself. Whether motivated by aesthetic appreciation, investment potential, or cultural enrichment, collectors must ensure that their decisions reflect both their personal values and long-term vision.

For the first time in art market history, female African artists collectively surpassed their male counterparts in auction sales in 2023—a development initially dismissed as an anomaly. Yet, the trend persisted into 2024, with women artists securing a commanding 52.8% share of total African art sales.

At a time when conversations about diversity, representation, and identity are more important than ever, Bozar’s latest exhibition When We See Us offers a powerful exploration into how we perceive ourselves and others.

Curated by Osei Bonsu, curator of international art at Tate Modern, and Cale Garrido, guest curator at the C/O Berlin Foundation, A World in Common presents twenty-three African and African diaspora artists from different generations and geographical contexts - with works by Kelani Abass, Atong Atem, Malala Andrialavidrazana, Edson Chagas, Kudzanai Chiurai, Rotimi Fani-Kayode, Maïmouna Guerresi, Hassan Hajjaj, Délio Jasse, Julianknxx, Samson Kambalu, Kiripi Katembo, Lebohang Kganye, Mário Macilau, Sabelo Mlangeni, Santu Mofokeng, Fabrice Monteiro, Aïda Muluneh, Wura-Natasha Ogunji, George Osodi, Dawit L. Petros, Zina Saro-Wiwa, and Khadija Saye.

Imagine growing up surrounded by art that wasn't just on the walls, but woven into the very fabric of Lagos. That was the world of Mrs Rayo Anthonio, daughter of the legendary Yusuf Grillo.Yusuf Grillo's story is one of dedication and quiet revolution.

Anjola Awosika gives insight to his mission for this series: "I'm on a mission to unfold the vibrant African narrative through the lens of food and interior photography. I thrive on encapsulating the richness of our diverse culture in every shot, whether it's the savory essence of our cuisine or the allure of stunning interior spaces. Join me in this exhilarating journey at the core of my media agency, where we celebrate the beauty of African life through the captivating art of photography."

Debuting this month, Anjola Awosika announces "Ànjolá", an Interior Design project celebrating African culture in African homes. Looking at how functionality, comfort and Art coalesce in living spaces, Awosika is determined to document the intricate details that contribute to the beauty of specific African homes.