6 places to spend an afternoon.
Terra Kulture combines gallery, theater, and restaurant into one cultural stop on Victoria Island, with rotating shows of Nigerian contemporary art. The African Artists' Foundation runs its gallery, studio, and library from a red concrete villa. Alexis Galleries shows established and emerging African artists across changing exhibitions.
3 things to do, 3 shops, all in Victoria Island.
Victoria Island's art scene runs commercial and ambitious. Alexis Galleries and the African Artists' Foundation push contemporary African and diaspora work for serious collectors, while Terra Kulture folds a gallery into a theater and restaurant for anyone who wants the full afternoon.
Part theater, part gallery, part restaurant on Victoria Island, with rotating exhibitions of Nigerian contemporary art alongside live stage performances. This is the cultural center Lagos actually uses, not just the one people talk about.
A red concrete villa on Victoria Island houses the gallery, studio, and growing library behind Azu Nwagbogu's non-profit, running since 2007. LagosPhoto, launched here in 2009, was the first international contemporary photography festival in Africa. Show up for "Talk Your Own," the monthly open mic for poets and amateurs alike.
Showcasing contemporary African art across rotating exhibitions, Alexis Galleries is a prominent Lagos gallery representing established and emerging artists from Nigeria and beyond. The display rooms are spacious, and the staff can walk you through the work artist by artist.
Alara on Akin Olugbade is Adjaye-designed concrete housing African fashion and design across three floors, while Temple Muse racks Balmain next to Lisa Folawiyo behind a heavy metal door. For vinyl and African literature, Jazzhole sits just across the bridge in Ikoyi and has been Victoria Island's de facto cultural reference point since 1986.
Push through the heavy metal door and you're in a two-floor hall with towering windows, Balmain and Givenchy racked beside Lisa Folawiyo and Tiffany Amber. The Wadhwani brothers run it Selfridges-style, with a champagne bar and a gallery wired for serious installations.
David Adjaye-designed concept store stocking African fashion, homeware, and design across three floors on Victoria Island. The architecture impresses, but the selection of Nigerian and pan-African brands gives it real substance.
Record shop and bookstore in Ikoyi that's been Lagos's cultural compass since 1986, stocking vinyl and African literature. The staff know both deeply, and a conversation here tends to run longer than you planned.
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Three hotels worth booking in Victoria Island.
Restaurants, bars, and cafes in Victoria Island.