ART X Lagos 2026: Ladi Kwali gets the ICON tribute as the fair opens its 11th edition
The 11th ART X Lagos, held 5 to 8 November at Federal Palace, built its flagship ICON show around potter Ladi Kwali, with 15 galleries and a masterclass for ten emerging artists.
The 11th edition of ART X Lagos has put a Nigerian ceramics pioneer at the centre of the fair. According to My Modern Met's preview, the fair ran from 5 to 8 November 2026 at Federal Palace, Victoria Island, under the title "A New Chapter, A New Decade", and brought together 15 galleries from Africa and its diaspora.
Who is Ladi Kwali and why does she get the ICON tribute?
The fair's flagship ART X ICON programme this year is Ladi Kwali: Beyond the Vessel, curated by Dr Jareh Das. It looks at the legacy of the potter Ladi Dosei Kwali through her ceramics. A Zenith Bank sponsorship release describes her as a pioneering Nigerian potter (1925 to 1984) and notes she is widely recognised as the face on Nigeria's 20-naira note.
The show also includes pottery by women who worked alongside or after her, including Kande Ushafa and Asibi Ido, plus traditional pottery from Gbari, Nupe and Bida makers, according to My Modern Met. The Zenith Bank release says the exhibition draws on ceramics and archival materials from the National Museum in Lagos, alongside works from private lenders.
What else was on at ART X Lagos 2026?
Beyond the gallery booths, the programme listed ART X Cinema, ART X Live! and ART X Talks, and an Art Across Borders project bringing together six artists from five African regions and the Caribbean, per the preview. It describes the theme as cultural inheritance: how artists turn histories and traditions into contemporary work. Lanre Masha curates ART X LIVE, and Fikayo Adebajo is a co-curator of Corner.
The ICON Masterclass selects ten emerging artists for workshops and conversations with leading African art figures, across disciplines from ceramics and painting to film, textiles and performance. The call for applications said participants would join a documentary screening, an ART X ICON talk and a guided tour with the curator.
Add Binatec Pulse as a preferred source on GoogleSee more of our stories in Google Top Stories.Why does this edition matter for Nigerian art?
The fair was founded in 2016 by Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, per the preview, so this edition opens a second decade. Choosing Ladi Kwali for the main tribute points attention at a craft tradition and at women makers that gallery art markets have often treated as peripheral. That is our reading, not a claim from the organisers.
The sources we reviewed do not list ticket prices, the full set of participating galleries, or attendance and sales figures, so we have not included them. Pulse will update this story when the organisers publish results. Details were correct as of 9 November 2026.
- Dates: 5 to 8 November 2026.
- Venue: Federal Palace, Victoria Island, Lagos.
- Galleries: 15 from Africa and its diaspora.
- ICON show: Ladi Kwali: Beyond the Vessel, curated by Dr Jareh Das.
Questions people are asking
Where was ART X Lagos 2026 held?
At Federal Palace on Victoria Island, Lagos, from 5 to 8 November 2026.
Who is the ART X ICON 2026 tribute for?
Potter Ladi Dosei Kwali (1925 to 1984), through the exhibition Ladi Kwali: Beyond the Vessel, curated by Dr Jareh Das.
How many galleries took part?
Fifteen galleries from Africa and its diaspora, according to the fair preview.
