More than 120 musicians from 40 different African nations were invited to ART X in Lagos, the thriving commercial hub of Nigeria. The mission of ART X is to learn from the African people. The fair’s theme, “Who Will Gather Under the Baobab Tree?” sought to draw on African knowledge to solve issues including political upheaval and climate change.
The founder, Tokini Peterside-Schwebig, stated, “We wanted to harness the arts and creativity to address all the difficulties that we noticed in our society.”
One such issue that is being focused on is climate change since flooding has left ruins just beyond the fair. In Nigeria’s middle belt, which is rich in agriculture, desertification has intensified violence. The drought has exacerbated food insecurity throughout Africa.
By identifying answers that support the African way of thinking, art now has the opportunity to reinvent cultural identity. The fair ended on Sunday as world leaders from Africa and other continents gathered in Egypt for two weeks of UN negotiations to forge a global accord on combating climate change. We are thrilled with the sale’s success and the purchases made from the handpicked collection of notable pieces from Iran, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the Maghreb by private collectors and institutions. We’ll make sure that there are many sales of modern and contemporary art shortly and expand the category to suit the expanding interest in local, national, and worldwide art.