In Residence (2020)
Acrylic on Canvas | 145cm x 145cm
I made this piece shortly after I moved back to Lagos from Bristol, where I had been studying sociology and psychology. I ended up dropping out. Life at that point felt really uncertain—I was confused, struggling with depression, and dealing with some pretty dark thoughts.
The floating skull in the painting represents those thoughts. The phrase “In Residence” ties back to the global lockdowns happening at the time, but also how I felt mentally—trapped in one place, stuck with myself. There’s also a floating hand, waving. For me, that symbolizes how I’ve always been quick to offer help to others, even when I can’t seem to do the same for myself.
In the background, you’ll see the symbol I use for the “all-seeing eye”—something that watches everything, even the stuff we try to keep hidden in the dark.
This piece was about being in a space where everything felt still on the outside, but inside, things were loud, messy, and uncertain.