Lagos Gallery Weekend to Celebrate Art, Culture

Tosin Clegg

Returning for the second edition in Lagos, the Lagos Gallery Weekend (LGW), a citywide celebration of art, culture and community, is scheduled to take place next weekend, from 28th to 30th March 2025.

This year’s event is bringing together 20 Galleries and five cultural institutions located in Lagos and will feature exhibitions, live performances, painting sessions for children and tours, showcasing Lagos’ vibrant artistic landscape.

Speaking with THISDAY, the Director, LGW, Sunshine Alaibe, said this year’s edition would be an immersive experience where creative connections and dialogue would be expressed between artists, collectors and art enthusiasts. She added that LGW was also inviting attendees to explore the rich tapestry of Lagos’ art scene, with galleries across the city opening their doors to transformative exhibitions and immersive storytelling.

 “This year’s theme, ‘Discover Lagos Through Art,’ emphasises the dynamic fusion of tradition and contemporary expression that defines the city’s creative spirit. 20 galleries will feature works from both emerging and established artists, offering diverse perspectives and mediums, including, 202 BY ARTSPLIT, 16 BY 16, Alexis Gallery, Affinity Gallery, Aina gallery, AMG Projects, Bloom Art, Kó Art Space, Kokopelli Gallery and Nike Art gallery. Others include Nomadic Gallery, O’DA Art, Rélé, Soto Gallery, Sachs Gallery, Tiwani Contemporary, TR INSTITUTE, Windsor gallery, Wunika mukan and Yenwa gallery.

“The five museums/cultural institutions participating include CCA, JK Randle Centre, Yemisi Shyllon Museum, Grillo Art, Alliance Francais and Goethe Institute.”

 Alaibe said usually, exhibitions are year-round and the beauty of the LGW is that every gallery has something going on throughout the weekend.

“If you have never had the opportunity to know what’s happening in Lagos, this is for you and we have a hub that contains all necessary information. This is an opportunity to amplify our art spaces and showcase what they have to offer, which many people don’t know about.

“The first edition was well received but this would be bigger and better. Lagos has over 70 cultural spaces and we are engaging just 25 of those across the island and mainland so that everyone can participate easily.”

Hoping to extend the event to twice annually, she said the weekend would feature notable artists like Gerald Chukwuma, Emma Prempeh (Tiwani Contemporary), Obinna Makata (Soto Gallery) and would present new works that delve into themes of identity, memory, and cultural heritage.

“Each of the gallery is eager to welcome attendees and we hope to get as many people as we can into all the participating galleries, museums and cultural institutions, so that more people can see what they have to offer, buy from them and keep our cultural spaces vibrant.”

The central gathering point for the event, the LGW Hub, she said would be located at Gather House in Ikoyi.

“This will allow visitors engage with us in a variety of ways, it will function as a marketplace, offering a selection of art and craft vendors; a workshop hub, providing hands-on opportunities for creative expression as well as a library, where attendees can explore a curated collection of art books and resources.”

Encouraging attendees to personalise their LGW experience by curating their own routes through the city’s galleries and exhibitions through the LGW website; she said this would allow for a unique and tailored journey, ensuring that each visitor can engage with the art and culture that resonates most with them.

“The LGW tours, in collaboration with Chisco Transport, will commence from Friday the 28th to Sunday, March 30. Tour buses will leave from the Hub for the entire weekend and each route has been carefully designed to give visitors a comprehensive view of Lagos, from its contemporary art scene to its rich heritage. Tickets can be gotten online or at the Hub during the gallery weekend,” she said.