G.A.S. Foundation is pleased to welcome Fiyin Koko, our first resident of 2026. A multidisciplinary artist working across painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking, installation, and moving image, Fiyin’s practice is grounded in womanism, memory, play, and embodied experience. Through her work, she explores how personal and collective stories, particularly those centered on women, are formed, remembered, and transformed over time. Known for her signature use of blue and elements of artivism, Fiyin creates visual narratives that engage both personal and communal experiences.
During her five-week residency, Fiyin will immerse herself in the unique environments of both G.A.S. Lagos and the G.A.S. Farm House in Ijebu. While she will spend some time in Lagos conducting research in the G.A.S. Library and Picton Archive, the majority of her residency will take place in the tranquil setting of the Farm House. There, Fiyin will reflect, think, and create with intention. She looks forward to exploring new directions in her work while integrating elements of Yoruba stories. She hopes, as a result, to develop a new body of work that integrates photography, painting, and sculpture, drawing inspiration from the environment of the farm and its slower rhythm. Her research will include visits to clay and pottery communities in Ijebu, alongside studio visits in Lagos. At the end of her stay, she hopes to contribute meaningfully to the local community, either by creating a site-responsive installation using found materials on the farm or by facilitating a creative workshop for children using clay and everyday materials.
Somewhere in Between, acrylic on canvas, 2025. Image courtesy of the artist. Photographer: Daniel Obasi
What is the current focus of your creative practice?
My current practice is centered on play, memory, and what it feels like to be a woman today. I have been working with old photographs, blending them with the present to explore how memories shift over time and how they shape who we are. I’m also interested in translating both the stories I create and those shared with me into tangible, sensory experiences through sculpture. While I work across different media, at the core of my practice is an understanding identity, womanism, and the everyday stories we carry.
Anina, glazed terracotta, 15x8 inches, 2024. Image courtesy of the artist. Photographer: Anny Robert
What drew you to apply for this residency and how do you think it will inform your wider practice?
I applied for this residency because it felt like the perfect environment for the kind of work I’m ready to make. It truly is a dream come true, especially after seeing the incredible artists who have passed through G.A.S. and hearing them speak about how supported they felt. Having that level of intentional support and structure is something every artist hopes for, because it’s often in those moments that work reaches its truest potential. I also really wanted to experience the G.A.S. Farm House: the quiet, the space, and the distance from Lagos’ intensity. I believe the environment will allow me to slow down, think more expansively, and experiment in ways that will continue to feed my practice long after the residency ends.
Image courtesy of the artist. Photographer: Niyi Okeowo
Can you give us an insight into how you hope to use the opportunity?
I hope to use this residency to dive into new ideas and expand my visual language. I plan to experiment with painting, sculpture, and possibly installation work, allowing the landscape and rhythm of the farm to guide the direction of my practice. I also want to explore play and memory more deeply, creating pieces that feel grounded, honest, and spacious. I have ideas and dreams for a new body of work, and I feel ready to bring them to life here. This time away will also be an opportunity to reflect, research, take photographs, and allow myself to be fully present with the work, free from the usual pressures of Lagos life. My aim is to leave the residency with a stronger sense of clarity, new work, and a renewed connection to my practice.
RESIDENCY ARCHIVE
Event: Kite Day With The Girls
Event Date: 22nd January 2026
On 22nd January 2026, as part of her ongoing residency at G.A.S., Lagos-based multidisciplinary artist Fiyin Koko facilitated a community-based workshop for female students from St. John’s Primary School, Ikiṣẹ. The session introduced them to the joy of play and creativity, offering a hands-on opportunity to explore kite-making and experiment with design. The workshop formed part of Fiyin’s five-week residency, during which she has been based primarily at the G.A.S. Farm House in Ikiṣẹ. Her research explores play, memory, and the lived experiences of women today, translating both personal and shared stories into tangible, sensory experiences through sculpture and other media.
Fiyin Fiyin Koko leading a kite-making workshop with female students from St. John’s Primary School, Ikiṣẹ.
Event: Story Story
Event Date: 19th February 2026
On February 19th, 2026, G.A.S. hosted Story Story, an interactive presentation of residency research, reflections, and clay works by Fiyin Koko. Framed as a journey through storytelling, play, and imagination, the evening traced how her time at the G.A.S. Farm House in Ikiṣẹ shaped the works developed during her five-week residency. Drawing from folklore, encounters with children and community members, and the rhythms of daily life on the farm, Fiyin reflected on how observation, memory, and environment informed her evolving practice.
Guests at Story Story, hosted by Fiyin Koko at G.A.S. Lagos.
About Fiyin Koko
Fiyin Koko Tunde-Onadele (b. 1994) is a multidisciplinary Nigerian artist whose practice is rooted in womanism, storytelling, and the reimagining of narratives that place women at the centre of their own worlds. Self-taught, her artistic journey began in childhood, inspired by watching her mother paint. Working across mixed-media painting, sculpture, installation, photography, and digital illustration, she draws from six guiding pillars: womanism, conversation, body positivity, movement, love, and femininity. Her work blends fantasy, her signature use of blue, and elements of artivism to create immersive visual stories that explore memory, identity, and the everyday experiences of women.
Photo of Fiyin Koko. Photographer: Ogaga Asamaige