Lagos is a bubbly city and has just as much to offer in terms of the arts. There are art markets, galleries and even a fair which typically happened in November (this period is also known as the art season)
We’ve rounded up some new art galleries in Lagos to check out, some of which opened in 2022.
1. O’DA Art Gallery
Established in 2021, O’DA Art Gallery is located at 10 Sir Samuel Manuwa Street, Victoria Island. Their main focus is to elevate those in the middle of their careers and established modern-day artists from Africa and its environs. The gallery is filled with all kinds of artistic themes you can explore, such as identity, technology, political commentary, social consciousness, and environmental change. There are timeless displays of a combination of art and captivating interior design that make you feel like you are in a contemporary art gallery. There is always a continuous program of sublime exhibitions, installations, and performances.
2. AMG Projects
AMG PROJECTS is a Lagos-based gallery that hosts exhibitions and allows artists to showcase their works to a wider audience.
The exhibition tends to showcase numerous portfolios of contemporary art and ambitious projects geared towards promoting curiosity and thought within post-colonial and socio-political contexts in Africa. The aim is to create good social access and global opportunities for emerging artists and curators.
You could check out their currently running exhibition, “Lines and Wonder,” which runs from November 6 through December 4, 2022. It is a solo exhibition of recent works by well-known young Nigerian painter Simon Richard Ojeaga, who is based in Lagos. This show will highlight the evolution of his outstanding talent in his journey as a contemporary artist of African descent, trying to carve a niche for himself in a crowded field.
It could be a great opportunity to get outside and soak up some art trust us, you will be glad you left your house.
3. Affinity Art Gallery
Talk about an art gallery that will make you fall in love with Africa and its artists. Affinity Gallery is a modern art gallery that is dedicated to the promotion and celebration of artists who are passionately sharing the African narrative with their works. They are located at 1-7 Muri Okunola street, Victoria Island. In addition to hosting exhibitions, Affinity Gallery expands and brings public art education initiatives to various schools across the nation. The program offers both off-site and on-site excursions to teach students about African art and to highlight the history of the continent through its artists.
The gallery is currently showing ‘Desire Lines’ exhoibition featuring 4 artists from Nigeria and South Africa. It is the culmination of an open call for emerging African artists issued earlier this year and they will also be taking part in ART X Lagos 2022 this November.
You can also bring your children and teenagers from schools around to visit our exhibitions, meet the artists/curator and take part in workshops.
4. Rele Gallery
Rele has been around for a while, but they opened a bigger space in Ikoyi earlier this year, and we love it. The new gallery is located at Thomson Avenue, Ikoyi, Lagos. Rele Gallery is known for its high-quality art and its work with artists to bring a top-notch craft to the gallery. It also has a branch in Los Angeles, being the first art gallery there. In the past, numerous exhibitions have taken place and we will be talking about the present one with you.
The new exhibition from Rele Gallery will present Poetics of Material, a group exhibition of works by contemporary African and diasporic artists, opening across the gallery’s spaces in Lagos, Nigeria, and Los Angeles, California. The exhibition, which will be on display from November 2 through December 17, 2022, imagines the natural and manufactured object as an unconscious repository of a constantly changing society that is capable of preserving memory and creating new narratives. It examines how form and object change as an investigation into design aesthetics and an engagement with social history and contemporary life. It invites artists whose work explores the physical and textural qualities of the material.
5. KÓ Art Space
KÓ is another sweet gallery you will love to be in. It was launched by Kavita Chellaram, an art collector and founder of Arthouse Contemporary in Lagos, Nigeria. She has been a major force in developing the modern and contemporary art market in Nigeria. Her exhibitions and projects over the years have contributed to the global recognition of numerous modern African masters.
The goal is to keep promoting modern art. They focus on championing Nigeria’s leading artists from the modern period and celebrating emerging and established contemporary artists across Africa and its environment.
Which of these galleries have you been to?
