Anadu Art Gallery

Room to Breathe: Tio’s Stories in Paint and Thread

October 15, 2026

By: Chieloka Anadu

Tio’s art began as a way to breathe. During medical school, making art became a way to ease stress and “find a little room to breathe,” and what started as an outlet gradually grew into something more. Today, Tio is a self-taught visual artist working primarily with acrylic and thread to create expressive, textured pieces. “In simple terms, I tell stories with paint and thread,” Tio says, inviting viewers to connect with each work, feel something, and interpret its story in their own way.

The process often starts with a single image. Tio is drawn to pictures that prompt a pause and a thought: “I want to recreate this.” From there, the image is explored through Tio’s own lens and interpreted in a way that feels personal, so that what began as someone else’s frame becomes something distinctly Tio’s.

Tio isn’t tied to any particular artist as an influence at the moment. “I’m still exploring my own artistic voice,” Tio explains, and sees part of the journey as discovering the artists, ideas, and practices that resonate along the way.

Thread is central to the work, and Tio enjoys it especially for “the texture and dimension it adds to a piece.” There is no deliberate symbolic meaning behind its use, Tio says. It is simply a medium whose process and possibilities are a pleasure to work with.

When creative blocks arrive, Tio takes a step back and gives space to rest. Sometimes that means scrolling through social media, where an image or idea may catch the eye and start something new. Tio has learned not to force the process, trusting that “giving myself the space to return to it naturally is enough.”

Asked what the artwork would say to a viewer, Tio resists a single answer. Each piece comes from a different idea or experience, so the pieces don’t share one voice. What matters just as much is what viewers bring: Tio likes that people can find meanings different from the artist’s own, and is “equally interested in what the viewer sees and feels.”

For Tio, participating in the Anadu Art Fair is a first. Personally, it is a chance to share the stories behind the work and connect with people through them, and to see how they engage with the pieces. Professionally, it is Tio’s first exhibition, a significant step that comes with the excitement of being part of the fair’s inaugural edition, sharing the work with a wider audience, and meeting fellow artists. Tio sees it as an opportunity to learn, grow, and experience the art community from a new perspective.

Follow Tio’s journey on Instagram: madebyti0__