A Presentation of Residency Research and Monoprinting Workshop led by Oluwasemilore Delano
On May 22nd, G.A.S. Lagos hosted Șé òrûn jé ârâ – is the sky skin, a presentation of residency research and monoprinting workshop led by Oluwasemilore Delano. The premise of this event stemmed from the title, which operates as a statement rather than a question. It invited audience members to consider how we understand our bodies beyond ourselves, reflecting on what practices of touch and intimacy with skin might mean within a world shaped by difference.
The evening began with a presentation of Oluwasemilore’s artistic practice and residency research. Reflecting on the development of her work, she traced recurring interests in cows, landscape, materiality, and storytelling, using them as entry points into broader questions about embodiment and relation. Drawing from observations gathered during long journeys across Nigeria, she spoke about cows as subjects that prompt reflection on movement. Their destinations often remain unknown to the observer, whether towards ceremony, trade, or slaughter, highlighting the limits of what we can know about other lives.
Throughout the presentation, she returned to the idea that existence is fundamentally relational. Drawing on everyday observations of the natural world, she encouraged participants to think about how we come to understand ourselves through our encounters with others, whether human, animal, or environmental. Rather than viewing the body as a fixed boundary, she proposed a more expansive understanding of selfhood.
Oluwasemilore also shared her engagement with materials such as granite and reclaimed wood, exploring how their textures and imperfections contribute to the meaning of a work. By preserving nails, marks, and traces of previous use in her own works, she allows materials to retain their own presence and histories. In her presentation, she reflected on time spent in a metal casting workshop in Ibadan, where she observed the production of locally made aluminium pots. Witnessing the intense heat and physical demands of the casting process prompted her to think about the body's capacity for endurance and transformation.
The event culminated in a hands-on monoprinting workshop, where participants were introduced to the fundamentals of monoprinting and invited to experiment with ink, texture, and mark-making. Beginning with thicker inks to explore ideas and compositions, participants later worked with lighter inks to develop prints in response to the themes discussed during the presentation. As the workshop progressed, the resulting prints were displayed on the walls of the space, creating a collective installation that reflected the participants' individual interpretations.
Event Details
Date: 22nd May, 2026
Session One (Presentation): 3:00pm - 4:00pm
Session Two (Monoprinting Workshop - Closed): 4:30pm - 6:00pm
Location: 9b, Hakeem Dickson Drive, off T.F. Kuboye Road, Oniru, Lagos
About the Facilitator
Oluwasemilore Delano
Oluwasemilore Delano, from Ogun state, Nigeria, is a London,Lagos-based artist whose practice explores memory, lineage, and Black spatial consciousness through drawing and sculpture. Her practice continually returns to the question of what it means to depict the figure, not just as form, but as a site of perception. She is interested in what it means to look, especially when looking is shaped by materials that push back and have their own histories, contexts, and attitudes. Her work engages with materials like charcoal, concrete, oil, and textured black surfaces to interrogate themes of time, self/communal referencing, and cultural inheritance. Delano began her formal art education with a foundation year at the Royal Drawing School, followed by a BA in Architecture at King’s College, University of Cambridge. She later completed an MFA at the Ruskin School of Art, University of Oxford, supported by the Black Academic Futures and Penny Freer Scholarships.
Photo of Oluwasemilore. Image courtesy of the artist.
Oluwasemilore’s residency is generously supported by Adegbola Art Gallery.
