The Àkéte Collection is a core part of the Lagos Biennial’s legacy work, with a vision to establish a solid foundation for modern and contemporary art with a Lagos-centric gaze.
This collection is being established as the seed for what will become the first major international collection of modern and contemporary art in Africa, led by artists, rooted in local context, and connected globally. It will serve as a permanent home for contemporary cultural production, critical research, and public engagement, offering continuity between biennial editions while dramatically expanding access to art year-round.
At its core, the collection will showcase outstanding pieces which have been in storage from the inception of the Lagos Biennial in 2017. Loans and donations of artworks from international museums, private collections, and artists will also enhance the depth of the collection. The Àkéte collection is hinged on the underlying principle of the Lagos Biennial’s independence. As the Director of the Lagos Biennial, Folakune Oshun, puts it, “We are looking for art references independence, including art made across the world during the period of agitations for African independence.”
To create a multifunctional and sustainable space that consolidates Lagos’ position as an international art centre and provides the city with an artistic landmark, we have commissioned Oshinowo Studio, led by architect Tosin Oshinowo, to design a collection space in the heart of Ikoyi, Lagos. The opening will mark the first significant display of its permanent collection within the framework of the Lagos Biennial’s 5th edition, The Museum of Things Unseen. Therefore, the building will not only serve as an exhibition space for the Biennial, but also as a (self-)reflective space for museological collection practices and speculations on alternatives.
The 2026 Biennial’s fifth edition will also enrich the collection through loans, commissions, and donations.
From its inception, the Lagos Biennial has used spatial interventions in historic city spaces to ignite dialogue around political, social, and historical paradoxes. Our interventions aim to question norms by engaging with landmark sites from our modern history, inviting international artists to superimpose their narratives onto Lagos’s unique backdrop.
While this event is resource-intensive, we emphasise resourcefulness, subverting conventions and prioritising substance over superficiality.
