By Osa mbonu-Amadi, Arts Editor

ART X Lagos, the foremost international art fair in West Africa, is gearing up to showcase the creative excellence of Nigeria and the broader African continent at its much-awaited tenth edition. Branded 10X, this enhanced fair will take place from November 6–9, 2025, at the Federal Palace Hotel, Lagos.The announcement was made during a dynamic launch event held last week on Victoria Island, Lagos.

Speaking at the launch, Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, Founder of ART X Lagos, said: “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.”

She said she could hardly believe it has been ten years since she and her team took the first steps to create ART X Lagos. “When we began in 2016, the dream was simple, yet bold: to champion how African creativity is seen, celebrated, and valued; to show that our stories, our art, and our ideas could stand proudly on the world stage. That dream began right here in Lagos, and over the past decade, it has grown into something extraordinary, a movement that has connected artists, communities, and audiences across Africa and beyond.”

The 10th Edition of ART X Lagos no doubt marks a significant milestone, showcasing a decade of growth and impact for the glamorous art fair. Compared to other global art fairs, ART X Lagos has expanded considerably but appears to maintain a clear thematic and cultural focus despite its growth, though the risk of bloat is a relevant concern to address.

This 10th anniversary edition features 15 curated galleries with a mix of established and emerging African and diasporic artists, hosted across multiple large venues within the Federal Palace Hotel grounds. This expansion parallels other large international fairs such as 1-54 London, which hosts over 60 galleries from 23 countries and emphasises thematic curatorial projects (e.g., gender and power), underscoring high diversity and intellectual engagement.

Like major fairs such as The Armory Show, where booth costs and scale have ballooned, ART X Lagos’s growth includes adding sections like Spotlight Galleries for emerging artists, special exhibitions, residencies, and multidisciplinary programming, like music, film, and talks. Such diversification aligns with trends in global fairs expanding beyond commerce to cultural and creative ecosystem building.

ART X Lagos has proven impactful locally and globally, connecting over 700,000 visitors from 170 countries (according to the organisers) amplifying African narratives. This is comparable to fairs like 1-54 that also foster critical discourse with curated talks and panels, reinforcing their role as cultural forums rather than mere marketplaces.

However, the concerns about “art fair bloat” in the global context often relate to fairs becoming too commercially driven, costly, and losing original curatorial focus. Large fairs sometimes overwhelm visitors with scale and repetitive or diffuse programming, risking loss of identity.

ART X Lagos, with its 10X expansion, embraces diverse programming: multiple venues, special projects, residencies, educational initiatives, and family-friendly experiences. While this broad scope can risk dilution of focus, ART X Lagos appears intentionally curated to reflect African creativity’s complexity, embedding cultural narratives and community engagement at its core.

The fair’s thematic coherence around the anniversary theme, “Imagining Otherwise, No Matter the Tide,” linking urban futures and collective agency, suggests a maintained intellectual and cultural focus rather than aimless expansion.

Challenges may include logistical complexity of multiple venues and programs, which might make the visitor experience overwhelming and could stretch organisational resources. However, with strategic partnership network and advisory board involvement, there could be strong governance to mitigate these risks.

ART X Lagos is a growing international art fair that mirrors global trends of expansion and diversification without sacrificing its foundational mission to champion African art on the world stage. While there is an inherent risk of losing focus with scale, ART X Lagos appears to manage this by reinforcing curatorial rigour, thematic programming, community engagement, and ecosystem-building initiatives. The expansive format for the 10th anniversary can be seen less as bloat and more as a deliberate celebration of artistic richness, with sustained attention to African narratives rather than mere size or commercial gain.

Thus, ART X Lagos in its 10th Edition exemplifies a mature, evolving art fair model that balances growth with cultural integrity, setting a strong example for African and global art fairs alike. Nevertheless, continued vigilance is needed to avoid common pitfalls of loss of focus and the real essence of art which usually result from over-extension.