The Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (YSMA), Pan-Atlantic University, has concluded its first artist residency programme, bringing together Nigerian contemporary artist Anthony Nsofor and Italian artist Lara Ilaria Braconi in a collaborative project that highlights the role of cultural exchange in strengthening relations between Nigeria and Italy.

The week-long residency, held from September 21 to 25, 2026, was commissioned and supported by the Embassy of Italy in Lagos as part of its cultural diplomacy initiatives. It culminated in the creation of a large-scale collaborative painting, Kairos: The Third Body, now installed on the high walls at the museum’s entrance.

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The project marks a milestone for YSMA, extending its role beyond exhibiting artworks to providing a platform for artists from different cultural backgrounds to exchange ideas, explore creative approaches and produce new work together.

According to the museum, the title Kairos: The Third Body combines the ancient Greek concept of kairos, referring to an opportune or decisive moment, with the idea of a “third body”—a new presence emerging from dialogue, exchange, observation, experimentation and shared experience.

YSMA Director, Dr Jess Castellote, said the residency created an opportunity for meaningful engagement between artists whose practices and cultural perspectives differ.

“The project created space for genuine exchange between artistic practices and cultural perspectives,” Castellote said, adding that the resulting artwork would remain at the museum, allowing visitors to encounter both the work and the story behind its creation.

Braconi described the collaboration as an experience of discovery, while Nsofor said working with another artist required allowing someone else into the process of developing an idea.

He noted that the final work was something neither artist could have created independently, reflecting the possibilities that emerge when creative perspectives meet.

The residency also incorporated educational and public engagement activities. Children from the Italian School in Lekki visited the artists in their studio, while students from Pan-Atlantic University and Yaba College of Technology’s Epe Annex participated in a studio visit and an In-Conversation session.

These engagements offered students and young visitors an opportunity to observe the collaborative process and interact with the artists about their practices and experiences.

The programme concluded on September 26 with a presentation and closing ceremony hosted by the Embassy of Italy in Lagos. The event featured remarks by Italian Consul General Ivo Michele Polacco and Castellote, alongside an artists’ presentation, a video documenting the residency and a conversation on the creative process.

Polacco described the residency as a significant cultural diplomacy project and the first initiative of its kind organised by the Italian Embassy in Lagos.

The partnership reflects efforts to strengthen cultural ties between Nigeria and Italy through artistic collaboration, public engagement and opportunities for creative exchange.

YSMA, which was voted Museum Opening of the Year by Apollo Magazine in 2020, is a university art museum at Pan-Atlantic University known for its extensive art collection and educational activities. The residency adds to its role in promoting contemporary artistic practice and fostering engagement between local and international creative communities.