By Alessia D’Introno

The 5th edition of the Lagos Biennial is set to open soon. From November 14 to December 6 in Eko Atlantic City, Lagos, Nigeria, the Biennial will revolve around the theme The Museum of Things Unseen, under the artistic direction of Folakunle Oshun and supported by the curatorial team of Furen Dai, Chinyere Obieze, and Sam Hopkins.

This edition aims to rediscover contemporary artists, connecting their expressive power and commitment to the theme of visibility. A few questions serve as the starting point for this Biennial: «What lies in the shadows of our museum spaces? Whose stories are silenced, and whose voices are amplified? If we were to build a museum from scratch, free from the constraints of structural inequalities, what shape would it take?», as noted in the press release.

These questions arouse curiosity, not so much for the pursuit of a new museum model or structure, but rather for the opportunity to rediscover a different way for the museum to function as a place of preservation and encounter. Indeed, the works presented are rarely seen or have never been exhibited, turning the Biennial space into a venue for reinterpreting and highlighting the diverse artistic research selected. This state of invisibility, transformed here into a curatorial choice, challenges the rules of the Western art market with its cultural biases, financial mechanisms, and systems of recognition.

The issue of invisibility in art goes beyond market dynamics to address the very role of the museum as a cultural and political institution. A museum has never been merely a place of preservation. Its curatorial choices and national political touchstones help determine what deserves to be exhibited, passed down, and recognized, constructing a specific narrative of art history, a narrative imported from the West that has historically reflected cultural hierarchies and power dynamics.

A major highlight of this Biennial is also its rich program of international events and debates. Key fixtures include the 26th annual meeting of the International Biennial Association (IBA) and a discussion featuring CBAAC Director-General Aisha Augie and Ore Disu, Director of the MOWAA Institute.

These gatherings, alongside performances and artist talks, outline a desire to engage with and question the static concept of the museum within the Nigerian context. The curatorial workshop led by Adam Szymczyk will likewise offer an opportunity to rethink the canons and exhibition models of the traditional museum.

Marking a turning point and a new research direction is the Àkéte Collection project, connected to the creation of a permanent Lagos Biennial pavilion. The collection will bring together significant works from past editions alongside new acquisitions, donations, and long-term loans from artists, international museums, and private collections, aiming to build a major body of modern and contemporary art based in Africa. Its first major exhibition will be presented in 2026 as part of the fifth edition of the Biennial.

Selected Artists

Ade Adekola, Ala Praxis, Caitlyn Min-ji Au, CAMP, Ha Bik Chuen, Jacob Höfle, Lagos Studio Archives, Olukemi Lijadu, Antoni Muntadas, New Culture Studios, Aki Sasamoto, Arcangelo Sassolino, Amie Siegel, Alafuro Sikoki-Coleman, Hito Steyerl, Ethel-Ruth Tawe, Bert Theis, and Kara Walker.

Artists in the Inaugural Àkéte Collection

Jude Samer, Nolan Oswald Dennis, Ndidi Dike, Uche Okpa-Iroha, John Lalor, Dudu Emmanuel, Peter Uka, Olivia Philbert, Abdulrazaq Awofeso, Emeka Ogboh, Dimitri Fagbohun, Emmanuelle Mesika, Ella Baudinet, Aaron Kudi, Mariana Hahn, Myles Igwe, Bara Sketchbook, Kwadwo Asiedu, Theo Eshetu, Logo Oluwamuyiwa, Aderemi Adegbite, Olaide Olawoyin, Duke Asidire, Victor Obot, Kathleen Hearn, Obuh Christopher Nelson, Amina Zoubir, Lena Athanasopoulou, Dunja Herzog, Phoebe Boswell, Adeyemi Michael, Karen Stewart and Ed Suter, Dominique Koch, Sandra Poulson and Raul Gourgel, Temitayo Ogunbiyi, Uthman Wahab, Yussef Olaniyi, Chinenye Emelogu, Tabita Rezaire, Victor Ehikhamenor, Demas Nwoko.

OFFish Program

Art Bridge, Lagos; Greenbox Museum of Contemporary Art from Saudi Arabia, Hoofddorp; Future Ancestries; Floating Museum x Lagos Space Programme; Together – EU Pavilion; Parsons School of Design | The New School, New York; Academy of Media Arts, Cologne; Yaba College of Technology, Lagos.

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Furen Dai is an artist whose work explores the origins of language and how categorization structures and systems function within a broader social and political context. Anchored in sculpture, her practice challenges these very notions and expands across film, publishing, drawing, fresco painting and photography, taking into account the exploration of material, display, lighting, architecture, and text. She is the co-founder of the Institute of Contemporary Art New York, a pioneering artist-led organization dedicated to publishing and the advancement of artist’s books.

Recent exhibitions and commissions include Offworlds at YveYang gallery, the New England Triennial, Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation, the National Art Center, Tokyo, and the Rose Kennedy Greenway in Boston. She is currently preparing her solo exhibition at the Broodthaers Society of America. Dai has received fellowships at MacDowell, the Center for Art and Urbanistics, Berlin, International Studio and Curatorial Programs, and Art OMI. Her work has been featured in Artforum, LEAP Magazine, The New York Review, Boston Globe, and Boston Art Review. She has also contributed her own writing to Asia Art Archive and Best!: Letters from Asian Americans in the Artspublished by Paper Monument.

Dai holds an MFA from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts at Tufts University and a BA in Russian Language and Literature from Beijing Foreign Studies University. She is currently a lecturer at Parsons School of Design, The New School, New York and previously worked as the Director of Programs and Collections at Asia Art Archive in America.

Chinyere Obieze is a curator and cultural producer who investigates the material negotiations of knowledge systems across nature, culture, and economy. Their curatorial practice interrogates how these interconnected forces shape and inform artistic production, with a focus on fostering critical thinking, new critical practices and inclusivity in contemporary art spaces.

Her work actively engages with artists to co-create spaces of dialogue and empowerment, challenging conventional narratives while opening new avenues for cultural and artistic expression. She is currently building frameworks to understand Africa’s evolving presence in digital environments.

Obieze designed and produced Butterfly Conversations with Parresia Publishers. They are curating Klub der Weishet KDW at the Didi Museum. They also served as a curatorial assistant for Lagos Biennial 2024: Refuge. Currently, they are working on Kedu Lagos, an upcoming exhibition set to take place at The Old Nigerian Printing Press.

Sam Hopkins is an artist, researcher, and educator whose work navigates the intersections of media, narrative and collaboration, exploring how representations are constructed within different socio-political contexts.

Sam’s projects frequently engage with specific communities to co-produce counter-narratives that resonate both inside and outside institutional spaces. His recent inquires into issues of restitution and artistic research are shaped by questions of positionality. Central to this approach is his idea of a Networked Practice—which emphasises the expertise produced across different geographies, bodies, and minds. Networked Practice explores the potential of collaborative communities, such as Slum TV, and the International Inventories Programme (IIP), to interrogate, reveal and reshape power dynamics and to enable new forms of representation.

Sam has exhibited in international biennales such as Lagos, Dakar, Poznan, and Moscow, at institutions like the Dortmunder U, Kunsthaus Bregenz and galleries like the Goodman Gallery and Richard Taittinger. His work is held in collections including the Smithsonian, Gedenkstätte Buchenwald, and the Abteiberg Museum. In addition to his artistic practice, Sam is invested in education, currently working as Assistant Professor at the Academy of Media Arts in Cologne. His teaching aspires to foster critical thinking, a collaborative sensibility and interdisciplinary exploration.