An Interactive Presentation of Residency Research, Reflections, and Clay Works by Fiyin Koko
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.
The session opened with an introduction to Fiyin’s multidisciplinary practice, setting the stage for her broader research interests. Structured like a storybook, the presentation unfolded in five chapters, each centered on specific experiences from before and during her residency. Prior to arriving at G.A.S., Fiyin had long been interested in folktales, particularly Yoruba folktales featuring animals and the symbolic relationships embedded within them. Seeking deeper understanding, she began working with a Yoruba dictionary to translate and interpret stories herself.
She read from the folktale How Ijapa Cracked His Shell (Ìyá, Ìyá T’ákún Wálé Ò), reflecting on the recurring presence of the male tortoise in many narratives. These characters became catalysts for sculptural forms, often accompanied by poems she wrote in response. This process, writing alongside making, became a consistent method throughout the residency. One chapter was dedicated to the cultural significance of the chameleon among the Ijebu people, including a well-known Yoruba story in which the chameleon, challenged by his rivals, survives through imitation, adaptation, and strategic transformation. The story’s emphasis on change and resilience deeply resonated with her.
Several chapters focused on life at the farm and the encounters that shaped her work. She recounted observing “Small Small,” a duck nearly taken by an eagle and left with damaged wings, an event that inspired both a poem and a clay sculpture. Another work emerged from her reflections on Sobur, the in-house parrot at the Farm House, who rarely spoke to anyone except Mrs Monsurat Giwa, also known as Alhaja, the G.A.S. Farm House supervisor. The Kite Day workshop with students from St. John’s Primary School also became a pivotal moment, inspiring new works that extended her exploration of play and imagination.
Material experimentation formed another significant thread. Fiyin described her engagement with clay sourced from Iganran and Badagry, noting its limestone-rich composition made it more durable than the clay found on the farm. She later consulted her former teacher, Mr. Chidi, to explore translating some works into fiberglass. Travels during the residency included visits to the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, where she reflected on how physically being present differed from reading about the site. Additional visits to a photographic gallery, the Nike Art Gallery, and Iganran further expanded her material and conceptual investigations.
Personal experiences also shaped the works created. Following a difficult period marked by the end of a friendship, she revisited painting, creating a self-directed pledge and working on unconventional surfaces such as roofing materials. Concluding the presentation, attendees were invited to ask questions and engage physically with selected works.
Event Details
Date: 19th February, 2026
Time: 5:00pm - 7:00pm
Location: 9b, Hakeem Dickson Drive, off T.F. Kuboye Road, Oniru, 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.
