Lagos is getting ready for one of its biggest art moments yet. From November 14 to December 6, 2026, the Lagos Biennial returns for its fifth edition, and this time it’s moving to one of the most talked-about locations in the city — Eko Atlantic City, Victoria Island.
With the theme, “The Museum of Things Unseen,” the Lagos Biennial asks the questions, What do museums choose not to show? Whose stories get hidden in the archives, and whose get put on the wall? If we could build a museum from scratch — without the old rules — what would it look like?
That’s what more than 70 artists from Nigeria and across the world will be exploring through installations, sculpture, photography, film, and live performance.
What to know:
• Preview: November 13, 2026
• Public Opening: November 14, 2026
• Runs until: December 6, 2026 (on selected dates)
• Venue: Eko Atlantic City, Victoria Island, Lagos
• Curators: Furen Dai, Chinyere Obieze and Sam Hopkins
• Artistic Director: Folakunle Oshun
The Lagos Biennial was founded in 2017 by artist and curator Folakunle Oshun. Since then, it has made a habit of turning historic Lagos landmarks into living art spaces — from the Nigerian Railway Corporation compound in Yaba in 2017, to Independence House in 2019, and Tafawa Balewa Square in 2024.
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This year’s move to Eko Atlantic feels deliberate. It’s one of Africa’s most ambitious new cities, built on reclaimed land, constantly changing. It’s the perfect backdrop to ask big questions about heritage, memory, and how African cities are transforming — and what gets lost in that transformation.
Alongside the main exhibition, there will be special pavilions from the European Union, Floating Museum Chicago, and other international cultural partners.
Speaking ahead of the opening, Oshun explained the idea behind it:
“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.”
One of the major highlights will be the Akete Collection — the Biennial’s long-term push to establish a permanent contemporary art museum in Lagos.
There’s also the Curatorial Lab Lagos, a professional development programme for emerging curators, plus performances, installations, and public conversations throughout the run.
If you’re in Lagos this November and December, this is one to put on your calendar. It’s not just an exhibition — it’s Lagos staking its claim as a serious international cultural destination, and a chance to see how artists are reimagining what a museum can be.
