By Damiete Braide
In an unprecedented convergence of environmental sustainability and cultural revitalization, FREEE Recycle Limited, Nigeria’s leading tyre recycling company, has unveiled the first edition of its FREEE Art Residency Program.
The initiative aims to empower young Nigerian artists to reconstruct the country’s neglected heritage using discarded materials, especially used tyres.
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The ongoing programme runs till August 30, 2025, the five-week program will host emerging creatives at FREEE’s recycling facility in Ibadan, Oyo State. With the theme “Echoes of Reclamation: Rebuilding Heritage from Waste,” the residency challenges participants to reinterpret lost or forgotten Nigerian artifacts through a contemporary artistic lens, using sustainable materials sourced from the recycling process.
This visionary project, according to the organizers, is more than just an art programme, it’s a bold statement about memory, identity, and innovation. As Nigeria grapples with both a mounting waste crisis and a fading cultural consciousness, the residency offers a creative response that sees waste not as refuse, but as raw material for memory and imagination.
“Too often, we treat waste and heritage as unrelated challenges,” said Ifedolapo Runsenwe, Managing Director of FREEE Recycle Limited. “This residency suggests otherwise—that the things we discard may hold the power to reconnect us with what we’ve lost.”
Participants were selected through a competitive process that drew applications from tertiary institutions across the country. Candidates were assessed based on their demonstrated passion for art, cultural research, and environmental consciousness. The final cohort will work in a fully equipped studio space within the FREEE facility, where they will be provided with tools, raw materials, and mentorship to develop their projects.
The programme is anchored by a distinguished faculty of cultural custodians and practicing artists. These include Dotun Popoola, a renowned metal sculptor and founder of the Scrap Art Museum, who has made a name for transforming scrap into monumental pieces; Tunde Odunlade, a globally recognized printmaker and textile artist known for promoting Nigerian heritage through fabric; and Oriyomi Pamela Otuka, Deputy Director and Curator at the National Museum of Unity, Ibadan. Together, they bring decades of expertise and critical insight that will shape the artistic direction and historical grounding of the residency.
Throughout the residency, participants will engage in research, studio creation, workshops, and critique sessions. The process will culminate in a public exhibition and auction in Lagos, where the final works will be unveiled to a broader audience of collectors, curators, cultural stakeholders, and the general public. The goal is not just to showcase talent but to provoke new dialogues about sustainability, heritage, and creative reuse.
This programme comes at a significant moment in Nigeria’s environmental journey. Earlier in 2025, the federal government announced a ban on single-use plastics across all ministries and government agencies. The move reflects a broader national and global momentum toward sustainable practices. Initiatives like the FREEE Art Residency align with this movement, particularly by targeting young people who are crucial to long-term behavioral and systemic change.
Since its establishment in 2020, FREEE Recycle has processed over 350,000 used tyres, converting them into safe, durable products for playgrounds, classrooms, offices, and public infrastructure. The company’s focus has always been on circular economy principles, which aim to extend the lifecycle of materials while reducing environmental harm. This new venture into the creative sector is a natural extension of that mission, giving a voice and platform to artists who see potential where others see waste.
Beyond its environmental and artistic aims, the residency carries a cultural urgency. Many Nigerian artifacts, either lost, looted, or overlooked, remain absent from mainstream narratives. Through this program, the selected artists are not merely crafting objects; they are recovering stories, reclaiming identities, and redefining the future of African art.
The initiative is supported by key partners including Sage Grey Technologies Limited and the Netherlands Consulate, both of whom also serve as endorsers. Other collaborators include the Scrap Art Museum and the National Museum of Unity, institutions committed to innovation in cultural preservation.
As the residency kicks off in Ibadan, the broader art and environmental communities are watching with interest. The FREEE Art Residency may be the first of its kind in Nigeria, but its relevance and replicability suggest it won’t be the last. By placing young artists at the crossroads of history and sustainability, the program opens up new pathways for national reflection, and renewal.
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