Nigerian Studio Artists’ Stories To Feature At LABAF As Egwali Chairs Book Panel
NIGERIAN visual arts and the experiences of professional studio artists will take centre stage at the 2026 Lagos Book and Art Festival, as renowned sculptor and scholar Franklyn Chu Egwali chairs a panel session on Oji Onoko’s new book, The Artpreneurs: The Untold Story of Nigerian Full-time Studio Artists.
Scheduled for 2pm on Tuesday 17 November 2026, the discussion will take place at Freedom Park, Lagos Island. It forms part of the 28th edition of LABAF, which runs from 16 to 22 November 2026.
Egwali, a professor of Fine Arts (Sculpture) at the University of Benin, will lead a panel comprising Dada Ajai-Ikhile, Okechukwu Uwaezuoke, Ezinne Chinwe Azunna and Rachel Nwose.
The participants bring experience from advertising, journalism, maritime media and communications. During the session, they will discuss their impressions of the book after reading its advance copy.
Beyond the festival discussion, Onoko will present the book publicly in Abuja on 3 December 2026. The event will begin at 11am at the Exhibition Pavilion, opposite Radio House, Garki.
Although the organisers will make limited-edition copies available at the presentation, the book will also become available online that day. Readers can purchase the electronic edition or order print-on-demand copies through Boldscholar.com at the cover price.
Furthermore, the organisers will announce the date of the Lagos presentation during the LABAF panel session.
The Artpreneurs documents the lives and professional journeys of 36 Nigerian full-time studio artists. Onoko developed the compendium through individual interviews conducted in artists’ studios and homes across Lagos, Abuja and Kaduna, including a few virtual conversations.
The book organises the artists into three generations. These are The Pioneers, representing the 1980s; The Bridge Builders, covering the 1990s and 2000s; and The Young Turks, representing the 2010s.
Onoko brings substantial arts journalism and institutional experience to the project. He previously served as Arts and Review Editor and Deputy Editor at THISDAY newspapers. He was also a pioneer member of The Sun newspapers’ Editorial Board before becoming Deputy Director and Head of Public Relations at the National Gallery of Art.
In a statement issued by The Artpreneurs Media Team, the author thanked the LABAF organisers, especially Toyin Akinosho and Jahman Anikulapo, alongside the CORA Board of Trustees, for the opportunity to feature his work at the festival.
