Artist-curator Folakunle Oshun and an international curatorial team including Ayo Akinwande, Amira Paree, Sola Akintunde, Kelvin Hazel, Kwasi Ohene-Aye, Aminat Lawal Agoro and Michael Enejiso; conceived the inaugural Lagos Biennial around survival. Themed ‘Living On the Edge’, the exhibition brought together Nigerian and international artists to re-think and re-imagine Lagos and produce site-specific and contextual work that interrogates their experiences in and around crisis situations.
Participating artists include Jelili Atiku, Rahima Gambo, Lena Athanasopoulou, Sam Hopkins and David Lale, Saba Zavarei, David Palacios, Arrigo Reuss, Lamis Haggag, Dunja Herzog, Jess Atieno, Abdulrazaq Awofeso, Rita GT, Niyi Olagunju, Phoebe Boswell, Kainebi Osahenye, Adeola Olagunju, Ranjeeta Kumari, Yara Mekawei, Eca Eps, Obuh Christopher Nelson, Amina Zoubir, Olivia Jasinski, Tito Aderemi-Ibitola, Kathleen Hearn, Jerry Buhari, Youngjoo Yoo, Poku Chereme, Maie Okafor, Amol Pati, Tori Wrånes, Taiye Idahor, Januario Jano, Ro Caminal, Ala Kheir, Sol Prado, Wura Natasha-Ogunji, Sébastien Mazauri, Fati Abubakar, Delio Jasse, Abraham Oghobase, Kris Russo, Simon Daniel Tegnander Wenzel, Silas Mensah, Mawuenya Amudzi and Ayo Akinwande.
The biennial is organised by the Akete Art Foundation in partnership with Legacy 1995
Eca Eps: Government Reserved Area (GRA) installation at the 2017 Lagos Biennial examined the increasing privatisation of public space and the developing dialogue on mapping and toponymy as part of a considered drive to redefine national identity post-independence.
