Tosin Oshinowo’s Radical Urban Vision Reframes Nigeria’s Markets as Sustainable Ecosystems

At the Venice Biennale, Lagos-based Oshinowo Studio is spotlighting three of Lagos’s informal markets—Ladipo, Computer Village, and Katangua—as ingenious models of circular urbanism. Through immersive films, recycled textile maps, and data visualizations, architect Tosin Oshinowo is reframing these markets not as chaotic or deprived spaces but as sophisticated, self-organizing ecosystems driven by necessity and communal intelligence. These spaces transform waste from the global north – from electronics to clothing – into valuable goods, challenging traditional urban planning and offering bold lessons in sustainability. With a message that “we all can do more with less,” the exhibition invites the world to see African urbanism not as behind, but as a compelling prototype for the future.

Designboom