Kokopelli Gallery has unveiled “What Endures, What Fades,” an evocative solo exhibition by Ronke Komos that invites viewers to reflect on the customs, trends, and cultural memories that shape communal identity.
In a time of constant flux, this body of work navigates the tension between preservation and transformation, nostalgia and evolution, the exhibition runs from May 11th to June 14th, 2025, at Kokopelli Gallery, Ikoyi, Lagos.
In this exhibition, Komos explores the delicate balance between continuity and change, questioning how customs, fashion, and cultural identity evolve across generations. Drawing from her personal archive of photographs, she revives and reimagines visual fragments of history, creating a poignant dialogue between collective memory and individual identity.
Through a series of vibrant, mixed-media works, the exhibition delves into the fluidity of tradition—why certain elements endure while others fade into distant recollection. Pieces like Box TV – “Apoti Fedeko Age” and “Village Christmas Age” speak to familial nostalgia, while “Kori-Kosun, 5&6 Age” contemplates the shifting dynamics of friendship and community in a digitally connected world.
Fashion becomes both subject and storytelling device. The “Peperempe Age” celebrates bold self-expression across time; The “Aso-Ofi Age” transforms woven heritage into sleek contemporary form; and The “Handmade Hat Age” reimagines cultural pride through the changing symbolism of church fashion.
Komos’s work resonates with themes of memory, presence, and absence, inviting viewers to reflect on the emotional landscapes that shape identity. Her pieces do not provide definitive answers—they open a space for conversation: How do we preserve traditions without stagnation? How do we adapt them without erasure? And ultimately, what truly endures, and what fades?
What Endures, What Fades is not only an exhibition—it is a space for remembrance, redefinition, and renewal.
Kokopelli Gallery is a modern and contemporary art gallery dedicated to showcasing ingenious artists who have mastered the art of storytelling.
Established in 2021, the gallery is presenting platforms for creatives who engage in the line with intentions to foster a tradition and dialogue of storytelling. A multi-roomed setting with a space dedicated for meditation. The Grotto is an immersive space that interprets literally a roomful of stories.
The gallery has proven to be an experimental space with an extemporaneous approach to the evolution of the art space where raconteurs and aesthetes converge for related engagements.
