Gbolahan Ayoola has released the third edition of his “BlueWoman” silk scarf series in partnership with Fresco Gallery, with the new work, “Between Crown and Current,” available exclusively through the gallery’s online platform.
The double-sided piece, printed on 100% silk at 14 momme and measuring 35 × 35 inches, places two images in dialogue: one face presenting a composed frontal figure, the other a fluid arrangement of currents and symbols. The design is structured so that when worn, one side faces outward while the other rests against the skin, an intentional gesture towards the gap between public and private selfhood.
The Lagos-based visual artist described the work’s central preoccupation as spatial rather than psychological.
“What I find interesting about identity is how much of it is spatial,” he said, “how we arrange ourselves differently depending on where we are and who is present, not out of dishonesty but out of the complexity of being a full person in a world that rarely makes room for all of it at once.”
Released as a strictly limited edition of 200 numbered pieces, each finished with a rolled hem, the scarf is priced at ₦150,000 / $120. The series’ first edition sold out through word of mouth before it was publicly announced.
Ayoola, born in Lagos in 1977 and educated at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, has maintained a painting practice spanning more than two decades. His work is held in the collections of the World Bank, the African Finance Corporation, and the Nigerian National Gallery of Arts, and has been exhibited at the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London, the Abu Dhabi Art Fair, the Investec Cape Town Art Fair, and the Dakar Biennial.
Fresco Gallery, which focuses on prints, editions and collectibles by African and Black artists, is based in Lagos and operates primarily online.
•Featured image: Gbolahan Ayoola, Between Crown & Current (BlueWoman x Ayoola III), 2026. Limited edition silk scarf, framed for display. Courtesy Fresco Gallery.
