What project were you investigating or developing during your residency?

During my time at the 1952 Africa Art Accelerator, I was developing a body of work titled Scarcity in Abundance. It reflects on the paradox of living in a world that appears to be overflowing with resources, yet where many people still experience scarcity and unavailability. I was interested in revealing the hidden narratives of scarcity that exist within the reality of plenty. That body of work became an important point in my practice and later led me towards further questions about human behavior and our relationship with the environment.

In what way did the environment, resources, or community around you influence your residency experience or its outcome?

One of the strongest influences on my experience at 1952 was the community around me. Being in the same space with artists working across different mediums changed the way I thought about my own practice, as well as art and creativity more generally. It exposed me to different approaches and made me realise that there was much more for me to explore. We also visited different spaces and artists’ studios, including the Gas Foundation and Kelani Abass studio. Seeing how other artists approached their work was valuable to me because it expanded my understanding of what was possible within my own practice. However, one of my strongest influences was our curator, Tracian Meikle. Her approach to people and to creativity had a lasting effect on me. She made me realise that an artistic practice does not have to remain fixed. A practice can be open and flexible, and different experiences can influence the way you approach your work without necessarily taking you away from who you are as an artist. Beyond art, I learned a great deal from her about communication, attitude, and how to relate to people. She has a remarkable ability to bring different people together and make you think beyond the limits you may have placed on yourself. Personally, the residency felt like a major starting point in my career. I arrived feeling that I already understood what I was doing, but the experience made me realise that I still had a great deal to learn and develop. It changed the way I saw my practice and gave me a stronger sense of openness towards where it could go.

Looking back on the residency, is there a specific experience or moment that continues to resonate with you?

Yes. My experience with Tracian Meikle continues to resonate with me. One of the things she helped me understand was that my practice could remain open to change. Before then, I think I was more concerned with having a fixed idea of what my work was supposed to be. Through the residency, I began to understand that I could allow new experiences to influence how I approach my work without losing the core of my practice. That idea has stayed with me. Even outside of art, I continue to remember her approach to people, communication, and difficult situations. She has a way of encouraging people to think beyond what they already know. At different moments in my life when I have felt discouraged or considered giving up, remembering people like Tracian has reminded me that there are still things worth learning and developing. It encourages me to pick myself up and continue.

Did any new ideas or projects emerge during the residency that you hope to continue developing?

Yes. One of the most important ideas that emerged during the residency eventually developed into my first solo exhibition. While I was working on Scarcity in Abundance, I began asking myself a question: if we live in an environment filled with resources, why do we still experience scarcity? That question gradually led me towards human behaviour and our relationship with the environment. I began thinking about humans as being similar to termites in a particular sense. Termites are simply trying to survive, but in the process of accessing what they need, they can gradually erode the structures around them. I began to see a similar relationship between humans and the environment. We depend on the resources around us for survival, but through the process of accessing and consuming those resources, we can also contribute to the degradation of the very environment we depend on. The idea was not fully developed during the residency, but it began there. Over the following months, I developed it into a body of work that eventually became my first solo exhibition in 2024, The Order of Decay at Alliance franchise de lagos. The initial idea was titled Humans Are Termites, which later evolved as the project developed. Since then, my thinking has continued to move towards questions of human behaviour and perception: how we see things, why we approach things in certain ways, and how those perceptions influence the way we interact with and affect the world around us. That is something I am still developing in my practice today.

What is currently inspiring your thinking or practice (a book, film, conversation, research, place, etc.) and why?

At the moment, one of my greatest sources of inspiration is people. I am interested in human behaviour, attitude, perception, psychology, and the different ways people approach the world around them. I often find myself wondering why people do the things they do. Sometimes you witness someone’s behaviour and begin asking yourself what they were thinking, what experiences shaped that decision, or how they came to see a particular situation in that way. I have become increasingly interested in how perception influences our actions. Two people can encounter the same thing and respond to it completely differently because they see it differently. That difference in perception can influence how we interact with, use, care for, or even affect the things around us.

I also enjoy solitude, and I think that has made me naturally observant. I often find myself slowing down and paying attention to people, their behaviour, and the ways they interact with their environment. That act of observation has become an important part of how I think and how ideas begin to form in my work. Music is also a strong source of inspiration for me. Three songs I return to often are “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” by Eurythmics, “Master Jack” by Four Jacks and a Jill, and “That’s Life” by Frank Sinatra.

What draws me to these songs is the way they reflect on human nature, ambition, struggle, desire, and resilience. I am particularly interested in songs whose lyrics make observations about people and the different things that drive us. To me, they can feel like condensed reflections on humanity. “That’s Life,” in particular, reminds me of the importance of continuing even when things are not going as planned. That idea connects with my own experience as an artist. There have been moments when I have felt discouraged, but I have learned that sometimes you simply have to pick yourself up and return to the work.

So, at the moment, I would say that people and music are my biggest sources of inspiration. Both constantly give me material to think about: why we behave the way we do, what shapes our perception, what we are searching for, and how all of this influences the way we live within the world around us.