Art X Lagos, the Leading international art fair dedicated to contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora, is holding seventh edition at Federal Palace, Balmoral Centre from 4–6 October 2022. Here are 5 Artist to look out for!
1. James Barnor | Presented by Galerie Clêmentine de la Féronnière
British-Ghanaian photographer James Barnor, whose career as a studio portraitist, photojournalist and Black lifestyle photographer spans six decades and records major social and political changes in London and Accra.
James Barnor | Constance Mulondo, 1967
2. Alexis Peskine, presented by October Gallery
Alexis Peskine’s signature works are mixed media ‘portraits’ of the African diaspora, which are rendered by hammering nails of different gauge, with pin-point accuracy, into wood stained with coffee and mud. By applying gold leaf to the nails he creates breathtaking composite images. He depicts figures that portray strength and perseverance, with energy reminiscent of the spiritually charged Minkisi ‘power figures’ of the Congo Basin. He also produces striking photography and video works.
Alexis Peskine | Courtesy of October Gallery London.
3. Samson Bakare, presented by DADA Gallery
Samson Bakare (b.1993) is a Nigerian multidisciplinary artist. His work centres around black identity and values in both contemporary and historical contexts. East African Coptic art has been an influence in his practice, with the theme and subject of his work being a hybrid of classicism and stylisation which he calls Afro-classicism. His work is heavily inspired by fashion and he was among nine artists selected to re-envision and re-interpret the Gucci Ingrid 1947 bamboo bag working in hand with the global creative director for Gucci, Alessandro Michelle.
Samson Bakare | Through the Spring and Autumn, 2022
4. Victor Ehikhamenor, presented by Chapel Hill Denham
Victor Ehikhamenor is a Nigerian-American multidisciplinary visual artist and writer known for his vibrant and incisive works that engage with African cultural heritage, its resonance within the global African diaspora, and the postcolonial politics of his native Nigeria.
Victor Ehikhamenor | Ulin-nóifo, The Lineage that never ends
5. Rachel Marsil, presented by Galerie Cecile Fakhoury
The paintings of Rachel Marsil, a graduate of the École des arts décoratifs de Paris, plunge us into a rich chromatic universe, inhabited by silhouettes with hypnotic features that seem to contemplate us. These silhouettes are sometimes taken from her family photos, and thus reanimate, by reinventing them, personal memories.
Rachel Marsil | Taxiphone Collectif