September’s Quiet Before the Lagos’ Art Storm
Choosing between conversations, previews, and exhibitions as Lagos’ creative season gathers pace
This year’s creative arts season (Oct-Nov) is creeping in. I’m already getting emails from galleries announcing exhibitions and trying to keep up with a torrent of posters in WhatsApp groups I belong to, pushing other programmes, not to mention what comes up on my social media feeds.
This is the nature of September, the quiet month before things get really loud. As I write, I’m also trying to decide which programmes to attend this weekend and which ones to miss.
A loaded weekend
First off, June Creative Art Advisory (JCAA), in partnership with No Parking Lagos, is hosting a conversation and presentation by Tunde Wey, titled Economic Magicalism (6pm/11 Sept — 5th floor, 15 Military Street, Onikan).
This Saturday, at 2.pm., DIDI Museum (175 Akin Adesola Str, VI) opens an exhibition featuring the works of Afeex Akinlade, Olalekan Odunbori and Tomisin Olabode. Titled Parallel METAphor, it runs until 21 September.
“Their paintings and drawings collectively explores the intersections of perception, identity, memory and social commentary within the contemporary African society,” the organiser says.
On the same day, SOTO Gallery (10 Omo Osagie Str, Ikoyi) will hold a private preview (5p.m. — 8p.m.) for The Weight of Traces, a group exhibition featuring Lola Mariam Alli, Odama Paulcy, Oluchi Anaghoba, and Ronke Komos. The exhibition opens to the public from 12 Sept — 10 Oct.
“The exhibition brings together artists whose practices engage the ethnographic possibilities of painting through a deliberate, personal art of tracing and disclosure,” the gallery says in an email. “Using muted earthy tones and pigment stains for textures, the artists assume the role of seekers, constructing representational images that confront and uncover repressed interior landscapes and recollections that refuse to wear off.”
The Quintessence Gallery (Park View, Ikoyi) is taking a collector’s slant to its exhibition. In a new series titled The Collector’s Eye, the gallery is hosting an exhibition ( 5p.m./12 Sept.) on the works of Alimi Adewale, all in the collection of historian and academic, Prof. Ebun Clark.
“What can a private collection reveal about an artist over time?” the gallery’s director Jude T. Oni-Okpaku wonders. “Seen together, the works offer a view of Alimi through the sustained attention of one collector, showing how collecting can become more than ownership, preserving moments, changes and relationships that might otherwise remain unseen.”
The 15th edition of Lagos Comic Convention (9 a.m.- 7 p.m./ 12 Sept) holds at the Landmark Centre, Victoria Island. Organisers describe it as “Africa’s biggest geek and pop culture event,” featuring panel sessions, gaming spots, and exhibitions. I have attended this programme a few times, and each time I marvel at the creativity and swag of the Nigerian youth.
Meanwhile, Isale-Eko is gearing up for Eyo Oru, a rare outing of the centuries-old Eyo tradition. Also scheduled for 12 September, it’s strictly a nighttime affair, running from midnight until 5 a.m.
“The Eyo Oru is the all-night edition of the revered Eyo Festival, traditionally staged in honour of a deceased prominent member of the Adamu Orisa Group,” a press statement by the organisers says. “This is always a fascinating and unique cultural experience, as spectators can make recordings of the Eyo performance, since the respective Orisas do not participate in the all-night procession.”
If I’m not too tired, I plan to see it.
Still ahead (mark your calendars) …
- Lights, Camera, Africa! (1–3 Oct. 2026/ MUSON Centre)
2. Felabration (12–18 Oct. 2026/ New Afrika Shrine)
3. Lagos Biennial (17 Oct — 18 Dec 2026/ Multiple locations)
4. 30th Muson Festival of Art (28 Oct — 8Nov. 2026/ MUSON Centre, Onikan)
NB: Hosting an arts, culture, entertainment or tourism gathering this season? Let’s feature it in our weekly newsletter. Send the details to pelu.awofeso@gmail.com