My creative practice is spiritual, joyful and intuitive. Drawing inspiration from the land, mythology, ritual and oral history traditions, I explore personal and collective stories and the implications of symbolic power. I have a deep love and respect for the earth and work towards a post-capitalist world in which sustainable care for our communities, rest and love are prioritized.
Photo by Luigi Creese
bio
Gesiye works with individuals and communities using performance, tattooing, installation and image-making to explore embodiment and storytelling as forms of liberation. Based between Port of Spain, Trinidad & London, UK, her creative practice is rooted in themes of connection and belonging, and examines the sociocultural symbols and power dynamics that impact our relationships with self, state and land.
Gesiye was raised in a Nigerian-Trinidadian family with a deep connection to divination and somatic healing practices. Her experiences as a Black, queer woman and her work in social and environmental activism inform her creative process. She has shown work and performed at a number of local and international spaces, including FiveMyles, The Barbican, Express Newark, the National Museum of Wales and the National Museum of Trinidad & Tobago.
support my MFA
I’m currently raising funds to support my MFA at Slade School of Fine Art, UCL in London. Please share my gofundme link and contribute here if you can.
recent work
The Wound is a Portal is currently showing at the National Museum of Wales, UK from August 2022 to March 2025 and was shown at The Barbican, UK in 2023.
The first activation of I am You, an ongoing tattoo project, was shared at Express Newark, NJ. This work has included participants in London, Port of Spain, Berlin, New Jersey and Philadelphia.
Now That I’m a River, developed during a residency at Alice Yard, has been shown at White Box in NYC and Y Art Gallery, T&T.
preferred pronouns she/they