Artist-in-Residence Fireside Chat

Our summer Visual Artist-in-Residence is Kamorudeen Aruna and he’s hosting a Fireside Chat!

Kamorudeen is a visual artist and photographer from Lagos, Nigeria, now based in Toronto. He holds a Fine Arts Studio diploma from Centennial College, and his practice explores themes of identity, culture, and emotion through vivid, surrealistic storytelling. Often featuring children, his artworks aim to capture the innocence, resilience, and complexity of youth, while inviting viewers to reflect on their own experiences and inner worlds.

Join us for an interactive conversation, where we’ll invite audiences into Kamorudeen’s process and the inspirations behind his latest suite of paintings. Using sketches, process photos, and a talkback with fellow visual artist and A Black Art Fair alumnus Troydel Wallace, Kamorudeen will be engaging visitors in a vibrant exploration of how he creates. Plus: some good old-fashioned games, where you can win prizes to take home, and sounds by Sasky Mali.

Event Breakdown:

Presentation — 7:15pm
Talk with Troydell — 7:35pm
Audience Q&A — 8:00pm
Kahoot (prize: a print by Kamorudeen) — 8:20pm
Bingo & Mingle (prize: a tote bag) — 8:30pm

Meet the Artists

Kamorudeen Aruna

Kamorudeen Toluwani Aruna is a visual artist and photographer from Lagos, Nigeria, now based in Toronto. He holds a Fine Arts Studio diploma from Centennial College, Toronto, and his practice explores themes of identity, culture, and emotion through vivid, surrealistic storytelling. Highly passionate about colour, form, and shape, his work merges cultural influences with contemporary techniques to create striking narratives. Often featuring children, his pieces aim to capture the innocence, resilience, and complexity of youth while inviting viewers to reflect on their own experiences and inner worlds. Beyond creating art, Kamorudeen aspires to inspire others as a visionary artist and art educator, pioneering new approaches in Afro-surrealism and visual storytelling.

Troydel Wallace

Troydel Wallace is a Jamaican-born Toronto Based Digital and Visual Artist whose passion is fueled by his desire to inspire change, and impact lives by staying true to his art style, and his mission to showcase the beauty and value of the African Community as a whole. Troydel’s drive is propelled by his conviction that he was called to be an Artist- Through his intense fascination with the Afro-Futurism art style, Afro Punk aesthetics, and his Caribbean cultural influence Troydel’s GOLD-themed art style create visual metaphors that celebrates the beauty and value in the African aesthetics, culture and its people.

Sasky Mali

Sasky Mali, real name Uche Osakwe, is a Nigerian-born and raised Afro-fusion artist, music producer, and DJ. Currently based in Toronto, Canada, Sasky has been immersed in the creative music process since a young age, finding deep satisfaction in crafting sounds that resonate. With years of experience producing and composing, he’s honed a sharp ear for musical detail—skills that shine through in his DJing, a craft he’s been mastering for over a year. Music is Sasky Mali’s weapon of choice, a tool he wields to influence minds and spark change. His work dives into the raw, deep issues of the society he grew up in and the one he now navigates, blending them into his Afro-fusion sound. Sasky dreams of harnessing this power to connect with a global audience of passionate music lovers, aiming to shift the world for the better, one beat at a time.