The Lagos Biennial has announced the artists of its fifth edition, which runs from 14 November to 6 December 2026 at Eko Atlantic City, a recently built peninsula on the Lagos coast.
Its title, The Museum of Things Unseen, sets the tone. The edition asks which stories museums tell, which ones they hide, and which structures shape those narratives. It is curated by Furen Dai, Chinyere Obieze and Sam Hopkins.
The main exhibition gathers eighteen artists and collectives. Among them are Lagos Studio Archives, New Culture Studios, Olukemi Lijadu, Alafuro Sikoki-Coleman, Ade Adekola and Ethel-Ruth Tawe, as well as Kara Walker, Hito Steyerl and the collective CAMP.
The biennial will also unveil the Àkéte Collection. It brings together works from earlier editions with donations and loans from museums and private collectors, including pieces by Demas Nwoko, Emeka Ogboh, Tabita Rezaire and Phoebe Boswell. The collection is meant to form a future museum of modern and contemporary art.
A parallel programme, OFFish, selected through an open call, includes Art Bridge and Yaba College of Technology in Lagos, as well as schools and projects from abroad. The biennial was founded by its artistic director, Folakunle Oshun.
