More than 70 artists from Nigeria and across the world will explore hidden histories, cultural memory and overlooked narratives at the fifth edition of the Lagos Biennial, scheduled to hold from November 14 to December 6, 2026, at Eko Atlantic City, Lagos.
The international contemporary art exhibition, themed ‘The Museum of Things Unseen’, will feature installations, sculpture, photography, film and performances examining the histories and experiences often excluded from conventional museum spaces.
The event will also feature special pavilions presented by the European Union, Floating Museum Chicago and other international cultural organisations.
Founded in 2017 by Nigerian artist and curator, Folakunle Oshun, the Lagos Biennial has established itself as a platform for contemporary artistic expression and international cultural exchange.
Previous editions were held at the Nigerian Railway Corporation compound in Yaba in 2017, Independence House in 2019 and Tafawa Balewa Square in 2024, transforming historically significant locations into spaces for contemporary art.
The 2026 edition will be curated by Furen Dai, Chinyere Obieze and Sam Hopkins, under the artistic direction of Oshun.
According to the organisers, the exhibition will challenge conventional ideas about museums, including questions about whose histories are preserved, whose stories are silenced and whose voices are amplified.
It will also examine how new museum institutions could be imagined beyond existing structural inequalities, with participating artists exploring the politics of visibility, cultural heritage and collective memory.
Speaking ahead of the exhibition, Oshun, founder and artistic director of the Lagos Biennial, said the event would encourage audiences to reconsider how museums preserve and represent history.
“The Museum of Things Unseen invites us to reconsider what museums preserve, what they leave out, and how we might imagine new institutions that respond to our own histories,” he said.
He added that bringing the exhibition to Eko Atlantic City would provide an opportunity to reflect on the relationship between Lagos’s rapidly changing urban landscape and its cultural memory.
The choice of venue is expected to provide a setting for examining the relationship between urban transformation, cultural heritage and the narratives that shape African cities.
A major highlight of the exhibition will be the presentation of the AketeCollection, an initiative of the Lagos Biennial aimed at establishing a permanent contemporary art museum in Lagos.
The programme will also feature public conversations, performances and the Curatorial Lab Lagos, an international professional development initiative for emerging curators.
The organisers said the fifth edition would further strengthen Lagos’s position as an international cultural destination by bringing together artists, curators, collectors and visitors from different parts of the world.
The Biennial will hold a special preview on November 13, ahead of its public opening on November 14. The exhibition will run on selected dates until December 6, 2026, at Eko Atlantic City, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Sunday Ehigiator
Follow us on:
