The opening of the Lagos Pottery Festival with the festival theme: Clay as Memiry at the historic National Museum Lagos on Saturday, May 23, 2026, unfolded as a colourful gathering of ceramic artists, collectors, students, curators, and culture enthusiasts drawn together by a shared appreciation for clay and heritage.

Words Ireho Aito | Don’t Keep Your Art in the Finger! Photographs credit: Daniel Adeniran, Photographs courtesy Visions in Clay Artists Network/Ato Arinze

Organised by Visions in Clay Artists Network in collaboration with the museum, the festival celebrated the evolving language of pottery through exhibitions, sculptural installations, and conversations around African ceramic traditions. The atmosphere blended craftsmanship with cultural reflection as visitors explored works that carried both ancestral memory and contemporary experimentation.

Festival curator Chris Onaivi Ekuafeh described the gathering as a platform for reconnecting communities with the timeless value of clay practice. Referencing earlier curatorial conversations around ceramic exhibitions, Ekuafeh emphasised that pottery continues to serve as “a vessel of memory and a medium of reinvention,” while also creating opportunities for emerging artists to discover “new hands, new possibilities” within contemporary African ceramics.

The festival also highlighted the growing visibility of ceramic art within Nigeria’s contemporary art scene, reinforcing the importance of preserving indigenous craftsmanship while encouraging innovation among younger practitioners. Over 20 artists are participating in this first of its kind pottery festival.

Clay as Memory: The Lagos Pottery Festival runs till 29th of May 2026 at the National Museum Onikan

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