Ṣọlá Olúlòde

Reflecting on last week, hearing the stories from those of whom Koyo touched in her life, and being invited into her vision with the other marvelous artists of In Minor Keys, I got a sense of her genuine, nurturing, ambitious and rare soul. My fellow artists have lead by example through our collective organising and their transformative artwork. Thank you all for teaching me how in a Biennale deeply tinged with grief, and marked by geopolitical turmoil, the instinct to come together through the storm prevails. Being the youngest artist in the Biennale this year, I’ve been sitting with what it means to presently be at my full power with much yet to learn, and it fills me with hope. With that hope, may I always hunger for the nourishment of helping others with humility. May I stay mad in love with the act of making that gave me everything when I had little. May I honour the shrewd child within who doubted the textbooks, believing that things can be better through the abundance of the land, its people, and eternal change. May this path deepen my internationalism, to make friends from strangers across the world. May I grow braver and gentler in equal measure. Last week I was so proud to honour my ma and the textile workers of Bangladesh by wearing a kheta suit. I’m proud to have designed this with Keith Paulys and his gift for clothing people to walk as their fullest selves; our art, siblings born in the same kitchen where we live and work. I’m proud of having the honour of connecting with Bayan Abu Nahla and carrying her artwork in affirmation of Palestinian life, with a wish for justice, healing and an end to occupation, apartheid and genocide in this lifetime. I give thanks for the chance to speak with Ese Onojeruo, Pio Abad and Sola Olulode on our panel at Lubaina Himid’s British Pavilion. It was also fun to do the Illy commission and spread the “Memento Vivere” message through a cuppa as one of the four artists selected this year. Thank you Phillida and Chloe for your unwavering belief. Thank you Ross for your magician hands on the build. All my love to everyone cheering us on, let’s get it! 🌼

Today, we are pleased to highlight a series of presentations, panels, and exhibitions featuring G.A.S. alumni and a trustee across Venice and within the wider La Biennale di Venezia (@labiennale ) programme.⁠ ⁠ Within the Biennale exhibitions, Gideon Gomo (@gideongomo ) will present work in the Zimbabwe Pavilion (@pavilionofzimbabwe ) as part of Second Nature, Manyonga held at Santa Maria della Pietà in Castello. Joining four other artists, his contribution engages neuroplasticity as both metaphor and method, opening onto questions of how identities, stories, and societies are continuously reshaped. Also included in the Biennale exhibition are G.A.S. alumni Ranti Bam (@baamtii ) and Nolan Oswald Dennis (@data_body ), alongside trustee Temitayo Ogunbiyi (@temitayostudio ).⁠ ⁠ In a parallel programme, Ruby Onyinyechi (@ruby_onyinyechi_draws ), in collaboration with Wura Ogunji (@wuraogunji ), will present THE DASH at Hotel Monaco, Sala Corte. The live performance forms part of 1922 Revisited, a programme curated by Janine Sytsma in dialogue with Artistic Director Koyo Kouoh’s exhibition In Minor Keys.⁠ ⁠ Sola Olulode (@solaolulod ) will participate in two panel discussions during the pre-opening week. On May 5, she joins Beyond Here: Queering African Art History at Hotel Monaco & Grand Canal, a conversation organised by the African Art in Venice Forum that centres queer African voices within art historical discourse. On May 7, she participates in We Carry What We Cannot Leave at the British Pavilion, alongside Pio Abad and Mohammad Z. Rahman.⁠ ⁠ #biennalearte2026 #inminorkeys #gasfoundation #yinkashonibarefoundation #labiennale

Burnished Reeds @marketartfair with @berntsonbhattacharjee and @solaolulode . Pictures by @alexander.beveridge #reeds #yakisugi #shousugiban #ash #stainlesssteel marketartfair

Ahead of the La Biennale di Venezia opening next week, we celebrate artists who were in residence with us, and whose practices shape our presentation. At G.A.S. Emma Prempeh (@reclus__e ) deepened her engagement with memory and image-making, while Ofem Ubi (@ofem.ubi ) expanded his ongoing projects. During her time with us, Portia Zvavahera (@zvavaheraportia ) developed new paintings later presented in I See You at Tiwani Contemporary, alongside Gideon Gomo (@gideongomo ), who developed sculptural works for the same exhibition during his residency. For Alberta Whittle (@purebred.mongrel ), the residency unfolded through research and exchange, while Raqs Media Collective (@raqsmediacollective ) developed a project as part of the World Weather Network. Raymond Pinto (@raymondpinto ) built connections and later deepened his engagement with Yoruba cultural traditions, while Umar Rashid (@frohawktwofeathers ) turned to Adire, incorporating its dye and resist techniques into his tapestry work. Tobi Onabolu (@tobionabolu ) explored frequencies through Yoruba cosmology, as Bisila Noha (@bisilanoha ) traced ceramic lineages across Ayobo, Ilorin, and Osogbo. Within the archive, E. N. Mirembe (@subtleroyalty ) followed Black Orpheus, extending an inquiry into literary histories. Jonn Gale (@balkanjonn ) drew on archival and medicinal research to shape her ethnobotanical practice. Olufela Omokeko (@omokeko ) explored agricultural histories through Àgbàlá Ọkọ́ (Hoe Courtyard), while Ṣọlá Olúlòde (@solaolulode ) engaged with Yoruba textile traditions, particularly adire. 🔗 Read more via the link in our bio. — Presentation realised with generous support from The Osahon Okunbo Foundation (@theosahonokunbofoundation ), Olufemi A. Akinsanya (@olufemiakinsanya ), Triangle Network (@trianglenetwork ), Yinka Shonibare CBE, Annette Anthony (@aanthony_author ), Kayode Adegbola (@kayodea ), Bimpe Nkontchou (@bimpe_nkontchou ), Denise Bradley-Tyson (@denisebinspired ), Wally Bakare (@wole_bak ), Yemi Adunola, Adeniyi Adenubi (@niyiadenubi ), Oba Nsugbe (@nsugbeoba ), and Tokini Peterside-Schwebig (@tokinipeterside ) ⁠ #biennalearte2026 #inminorkeys #gasfoundation #yinkashonibarefoundation #labiennale

11:45 AM | Panel Feature Beyond Here: Queering African Art History What’s next? This conversation builds from the National Museum of African Art’s Here Project, expanding how we study, exhibit, and participate in an art history where queer African voices are not just included—but centered. Moderated by Kevin D. Dumouchelle In conversation with: Ṣọlá Olúlòde Buhlebezwe Siwani Khookha McQueer Damien Ajavon Pamina Sebastião 📍 Venice 📅 May 5, 2026 🎟 Free ticket via Eventbrite #AAVF2026 #VeniceBiennale #ContemporaryArt #VeniceBiennale2026 #BiennaleDiVenezia

Greetings beloveds, Now more than ever is a time that we must gather. Finding safety is self and community feels vital during a time when the world is on fire. The experience of co-regulation is an ancestral and cultural way of surviving, healing and thriving for Black and Global Majority collectivist communities. It’s a knowing. A remembering that we do not need to heal alone. Now more than ever, collective healing is vital. How will you allow yourself to be witnessed in community? Reflections from our Reunion gathering.. 📸: @denisha_anderson 🔌: @ourlivingarchives @synergiproject 💐: @ronanvillea

Today is the last day of Market Art Fair in Stockholm! We are at Booth 19 exhibiting works by Sola Olulode and sculptural furniture by Harry Parr-Young. Out into the open, 2025 Àdìre alábélá (batik), dye, indigo, ink and pastel on canvas 46 x 60 cm Keeping the mystery above, 2026 Àdìre oníko (tie-dye), pastel on canvas 18 x 12 cm Just below the surface, 2026 Àdìre oníko (tie-dye) pastel on canvas 14 x 22 cm Survivor, 2026 Àdìre alábélá (batik), dye, pastel and ink on canvas 50 x 40 cm

At Market Art Fair we are showing sculptural furniture by Harry Parr-Young, an award winning designer based in Stockholm. His unique pieces are made using traditional techniques and materials from Sweden, Japan and Portugal, transforming raw materials into functional art. Parr-Young’s recent work focuses on reeds, a humble plant that lives at the water’s edge. Together, Olulode’s and Parr-Young’s work creates a dialogue between the fluid energy of the ocean and the tactile materials of the shore, highlighting our shared connection to the natural world. Email [email protected] for more information. Fair Dates Saturday 25 April: 11 am - 6 pm Sunday 26 April: 11 am - 5 pm Address Magasin 9 Frihamnsgatan 66 115 56 Stockholm Sweden

Find us at Booth 19! Our installation ‘Take me down to the water’ brings together paintings by Sola Olulode and sculptural furniture by Harry Parr-Young. Market Art Fair Magasin 9, Frihamnsgatan 66 Thursday 23 April First Choice and Partner Preview Friday 24 April VIP Preview 11.00–15.00 Opening Night 15.00-20.00 PUBLIC DAYS Saturday 25 April 11.00–18.00 Sunday 26 April 11.00–17.00

We are greatly looking forward to Market Art Fair which opens this week in Stockholm. We will be exhibiting a new body of work by Sola Olulode, ‘Take me down to the water’, which consists of 35 small-scale paintings. Each piece acts as a glimpse into Olulode’s dreamlike world where the ocean provides a sanctuary, balancing solitary peace with human connection. The installation is complemented by sculptural furniture from Harry Parr-Young, an award winning designer based in Stockholm. His unique pieces are made using traditional techniques and materials from Sweden, Japan and Portugal, transforming raw materials into functional art. We will be at booth 19 - see you there! Sola Olulode A drop of magic, 2026 Àdìre alábélá (batik), dye, pastel and ink on canvas 30 x 21 cm Market Art Fair, Stockholm VIP Preview Thursday 23 April: 11 am - 6 pm Friday 24 April: 11 am - 8 pm   Fair Dates Saturday 25 April: 11 am - 6 pm Sunday 26 April: 11 am - 5 pm   Address Magasin 9 Frihamnsgatan 66 115 56 Stockholm Sweden

For Market Art Fair 2026, @berntsonbhattacharjee presents @solaolulode Her work centres Black queer womxn and non-binary folx, unfolding through scenes shaped by intimacy, memory and lived experience. Working across natural dyeing, batik, wax, ink, pastel and oil bar, Olulode builds layered, tactile surfaces that reflect the fluidity of identity. Her compositions draw on friends and cultural references, forming spaces where representation and presence remain central. Her scenes hold a sense of closeness, where relationships extend beyond fixed ideas of sexuality. Figures gather in moments of care and connection, suggesting a space shaped by affection, visibility and self-definition. Market Art Fair 2026 24–26 April, #stockholm Sola Olulode. Photo Brynley Odu Davies Sola Olulode, ‘You in the middle of the world’, (2023)

Dallas Art Fair continues through April 19th! Visit Booth F8 to see these works by Sola Olulode. Sola Olulode’s dreamy queer visions explore embodiments of British Black Womxn and Non-Binary Folx. Working with various mediums of natural dyeing, batik, wax, ink, pastel, oil bar, and impasto she develops textural canvases that explore the fluidities of identities. Drawing inspiration from lived experience, friends, and cultural reference points to centre Black Queer Womxn, Olulode emphasizes the integral need of representation and celebration of queer intimacies. Her utopian scenes celebrate relationships that transcend crude notions of queer sexuality, her figures exemplify the warm embrace of queer love, a temporal space to bathe in memories of intimacies abundant with scenes of profoundly deep tender connections. Envisaging a world reflective of the celebration of her own identities Olulode brings to life representation and visibility of Black Queer lived experiences. Her figures represent multifaceted complex individuals and the energy they hold in their bodies relishing in a boundless temporality of self-validation and joy. @solaolulode @dallasartfair #dallasartfair #dallasmuseumofart #solaolulode #saparcontemporary #adaagalleries