Tolu Ayoka

Tolu Ayoka is a Nigerian visual artist currently living in Vancouver whose works serve as an ode to their inner child through otherworldly explorations of Black and West-African identities in alternative spaces.  The vision behind their art is heavily informed by muses in life and death that have guided their journey, inviting their audience into a world with vibrant elements of surrealism, Afrocentrism, and Black, queer culture.Tolu’s art has grown beyond self-reflection, now mirroring the wider world around them as they navigate their longing for connection to their community and lineage. Each piece brings forward a distinct visual language that tells a story—vivid, intricate, and charged with expression their work shifts seamlessly across mediums to bridge personal history with collective experience, making the intimate feel less isolating.