More than 70 Nigerian and international artists are expected to showcase their works at the fifth edition of the Lagos Biennial, as the contemporary art exhibition prepares to open at Eko Atlantic City, Lagos, from November 14 to December 6, 2026.
Themed ‘The Museum of Things Unseen’, the exhibition will bring together installations, sculptures, photography, films and live performances to explore hidden histories, cultural memory and stories often overlooked or excluded from conventional museum spaces.
Beyond the artistic presentations, the event will feature special pavilions organised by the European Union, Floating Museum Chicago and other international cultural organisations, further broadening its global outlook.
Since its establishment in 2017 by Nigerian artist and curator, Folakunle Oshun, the Lagos Biennial has continued to provide a platform for contemporary artistic expression, cultural exchange and engagement with historical and social issues.
Previous editions have transformed notable historical locations in Lagos into exhibition spaces, including the Nigerian Railway Corporation compound in Yaba in 2017, Independence House in 2019 and Tafawa Balewa Square in 2024.
For the 2026 edition, curation will be handled by Furen Dai, Chinyere Obieze and Sam Hopkins, while Oshun will serve as artistic director.
According to the organisers, the exhibition seeks to question conventional museum practices by examining whose histories are documented and preserved, whose experiences are ignored and whose voices receive recognition in the presentation of cultural heritage.
Through the participating artists' works, the exhibition will also explore how alternative museum institutions can be developed beyond existing structural inequalities, with particular attention to the politics of visibility, collective memory and cultural identity.
Speaking ahead of the event, Oshun said the exhibition would encourage visitors to rethink the role of museums in preserving history and determining which narratives are passed on to future generations.
“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 further explained that hosting the exhibition at Eko Atlantic City would create an opportunity to examine the connection between Lagos's changing urban environment and the cultural memories embedded in the city.
The choice of venue is expected to provide a fitting backdrop for discussions around urban development, cultural preservation and the historical narratives that influence the identity of African cities.
One of the major attractions of the exhibition will be the presentation of the AketeCollection, a Lagos Biennial initiative aimed at establishing a permanent contemporary art museum in Lagos.
Other activities lined up for the event include public conversations, artistic performances and the Curatorial Lab Lagos, an international professional development programme designed to support emerging curators.
The organisers said the fifth edition would further enhance Lagos's profile as an international cultural destination by attracting artists, curators, collectors and art enthusiasts from different parts of the world.
A special preview of the exhibition will take place on November 13, ahead of its official public opening on November 14. The exhibition will run on selected dates until December 6, 2026, at Eko Atlantic City, Victoria Island, Lagos.