G.A.S. Foundation is excited to welcome London-based graphic designer and visual communicator Lukman Ipese for a four-week residency at G.A.S. Lagos. Working across editorial design, photography, digital media, and workshops, he approaches storytelling as a means of connection. His practice centres on graphic design as a shared process, exploring how identity, belief, and culture shape visual communication, particularly within his British-Nigerian heritage.
While at G.A.S., Lukman will explore how spirituality appears in everyday visual culture in Lagos. Through photography and workshops, he aims to gather images, stories, and community responses that will form the foundation of a collaborative photobook and future publications. He sees this residency as an opportunity for sustained focus, using time, space, and local context to deepen his research and expand his approach. He also looks forward to engaging with fellow residents and local practitioners in ways that will challenge and strengthen his work.
Lukman's residency is generously supported by the Royal College of Art Association of Black Students, Alumni & Friends (RCA BLK). To find out more about supporting G.A.S. Foundation, click here.
Draw a Line, a participatory project where 100 metres of red rope was braided and installed on the Underground to spark conversation on sexual violence. Image courtesy of the artist.
What is the current focus of your creative practice?
My current practice focuses on graphic design, using participatory methods to share stories. I am interested in how identity, belief, and culture shape visual communication, particularly within my British-Nigerian heritage. Increasingly, my work centres on participation, creating workshops and collaborative spaces where people contribute their own images, stories, and interpretations. I am drawn to design as a social act rather than a solitary one, where making becomes a shared process of listening, exchange, and authorship.
Three Leopards, a project on Nsibidi - an ancient Nigerian system of symbols that have been reimagined in a western context. Image courtesy of the artist.
What drew you to apply for this residency and how do you think it will inform your wider practice?
I was drawn to this residency because it offers the opportunity to situate my practice within Lagos, my country of birth. While my work has often explored Nigerian identity from a UK-based, diasporic position, this residency allows me to engage directly with place, not nostalgically, but as a living, evolving context. The G.A.S. Foundation’s emphasis on research, community, and exchange strongly aligns with my participatory approach. This experience will inform my wider practice.
Kitted for Culture, MA project at the Royal College of Art which reimagines the football shirt as a cultural artefact. Photo: Icey You.
Can you give us an insight into how you hope to use the opportunity?
During the residency, I plan to focus on research, making, and community engagement. I will document everyday spiritual markers across Surulere, from domestic altars and transport signage to markets and sacred spaces, using photography and recorded conversations. I also hope to invite artists, students, and community members to share their work, especially if it revolves around spirituality, through small, skill-based sessions. The residency will culminate in the groundwork for a collective photobook that brings together my photography with community contributions. More broadly, I hope to use the opportunity to listen, build relationships, and develop a practice rooted in care, collaboration, and shared authorship, values I intend to carry forward into future projects and contexts.
About Lukman Ipese
Lukman Ipese is a graphic designer and visual communicator, deeply curious about how identity, community, and culture intersect. Based in London, he works across editorial design, photography, digital media, and participatory workshops, using storytelling as a tool for connection. His practice blends personal narrative with collective experience, shaped by collaboration and care.
Image of Lukman Ipese. Photo: Richard Ellis
Lukman's residency is generously supported by the Royal College of Art Association of Black Students, Alumni & Friends (RCA BLK).
