Art X Lagos, the Nigerian art fair that opens on Thursday, has changed its format due to the Nigerian economic situation, says founder Tokini Peterside-Schwebig. This year’s fair comprises only 10 carefully selected galleries, which is a third of last year's list.
“It’s not business as usual in Nigeria and we want to be part of a solution-orientated society,” says Peterside-Schwebig, who was born in Lagos and educated in the UK. “There are a lot of challenges for those living in Nigeria right now. We wanted to produce something that would start conversation, debate and dialogue among different tiers of society.”
The 10 galleries, which are all African, comprise some of the best programmes on the continent. They include Afriart from Uganda; Gallery 1957 from Ghana; MAM from Cameroon; and ko art space, Tiwani Contemporary and SMO Contemporary Art from Nigeria.
“These galleries are each central to their art scenes, while also demonstrating different approaches to showing and supporting art,” Peterside-Schwebig tells The National.
This year’s fair has also ramped up its non-commercial programming, with two group exhibitions curated by the Ethiopian writer Missla Libsekal, a talks programme and a major cinema programme, with works from artists and filmmakers including Ibrahim Mahama, Betelhem Makonnen and Meriem Bennani.
It’s a bold move for a fair that is growing in its international reputation: While the galleries might be African, an increasing number of international collectors, curators and other art enthusiasts are travelling to Lagos for the event.
Since its inception in 2016, the fair has become a major portal through which to discover artists and cultural producers from West Africa. It is credited with helping to provide a pan-African market on the continent, as opposed to the largely national art scenes that previously existed, and for helping to solidify the art scene in Lagos itself. New institutions such as Gas, which was set up by Yinka Shonibare, the British-Nigerian artist who was the keynote artist at the 2019 Art X Lagos, are now providing permanent gallery and residency spaces for the fast-moving art scene.
“From Day One we never intended to be a fair like the others,” says Peterside-Schwebig. “We have hundreds of collectors, patrons flying in. Even if you are remotely curious Art X Lagos is an important encounter where you can learn about art on the continent. It’s sparked Lagos Art Week, with events organised alongside the fair. We in Nigeria are privileged to play the role of a portal to the African continent.”
The fair’s temporary revamped structure, with its redirection of focus from commercial galleries to ancillary programming, has also been helped by its financial model. Rather than relying on income generated by the galleries’ fees for their stalls, Art X Lagos leans on corporate sponsorship, with major Nigerian banks such as Access Corporation and Areximbank largely underwriting the event.
The fair is also leaning on the immense popularity of its side programming. It has managed to tap into the large youth market in Nigeria with its music programmes and presentations of artworks, and will aim to continue targeting this demographic in 2023.
“We want to touch, feel, interact with the art, and from Day One we’ve taken art off the walls so that people can be involved with it. We set up photo studios and places for the audience to make collages,” says Peterside-Schwebig. “We in Lagos are not passive people.”
Art X Lagos runs until Sunday. More information is available at artxlagos.com
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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Ticket prices
General admission Dh295 (under-three free)
Buy a four-person Family & Friends ticket and pay for only three tickets, so the fourth family member is free
Buy tickets at: wbworldabudhabi.com/en/tickets
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Aaron Finch, Matt Renshaw, Brendan Doggett, Michael Neser, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (captain), Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Peter Siddle
What can you do?
Document everything immediately; including dates, times, locations and witnesses
Seek professional advice from a legal expert
You can report an incident to HR or an immediate supervisor
You can use the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation’s dedicated hotline
In criminal cases, you can contact the police for additional support
Dust and sand storms compared
Sand storm
- Particle size: Larger, heavier sand grains
- Visibility: Often dramatic with thick "walls" of sand
- Duration: Short-lived, typically localised
- Travel distance: Limited
- Source: Open desert areas with strong winds
Dust storm
- Particle size: Much finer, lightweight particles
- Visibility: Hazy skies but less intense
- Duration: Can linger for days
- Travel distance: Long-range, up to thousands of kilometres
- Source: Can be carried from distant regions
Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
ANDROID%20VERSION%20NAMES%2C%20IN%20ORDER
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
Padmaavat
Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Starring: Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Jim Sarbh
3.5/5
The specs
Engine: 2.4-litre 4-cylinder
Transmission: CVT auto
Power: 181bhp
Torque: 244Nm
Price: Dh122,900
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The view from The National
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
Christopher Robin
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Haley Atwell, Jim Cummings, Peter Capaldi
Three stars
Profile
Company name: Jaib
Started: January 2018
Co-founders: Fouad Jeryes and Sinan Taifour
Based: Jordan
Sector: FinTech
Total transactions: over $800,000 since January, 2018
Investors in Jaib's mother company Alpha Apps: Aramex and 500 Startups
