As most people know, both our founders Aisha and Oreoluwa Ayoade were born and half-raised in Lagos Nigeria. So, it's only right that today, on the 1st of October, we share a few of our favourite Nigerian artist both based in the country and across the diaspora.
Aisha Seriki is a Nigerian, London based creative specialising in portrait/fashion photography. At the age of 8, her family immigrated from South East Asia to the UK and she has been residing in South London ever since. Aisha’s interest in photography stems from her father's obsession with documentation; specifically that of all her significant childhood events.
After living in Nigeria for the first sixteen years of her life, Agusto moved to the UK to continue her education. As a result of constantly moving between both spaces, she explores ideas surrounding the self, particularly its evolutions and perceptions upon encountering foreign bodies such as other selves or new spaces. Her explorations manifest as drawings, collaged paintings, digital illustrations and videos. She also writes essays on contemporary art and its relationship with certain topics ranging from identity politics to technology.
Chiizii is a visual artist and designer born and based in London, raised in New York with an Igbo background. Her work serves as a means of social commentary, expression of thoughts and analysis of others and self. It focuses on Black cultures where Blackness is standard, ever present. Whilst space for said cultures other qualities to be examined is given.
Deola Olagunju is an artist working with photography, video and installation. Recurring themes in her works are the Self, Memory, spirituality, healing and the social landscape.
She developed a deep interest in the Self as a space for investigation. The Self as being both, in body, in mind and in memory. In body, because the flesh is what conveys the human spirit, and as such she chooses this as a vehicle worthy of interrogation. In memory, because this is how we process and reflect on our personal inner narratives.
Dotun Abeshinbioke is a multidisciplinary creative based in New York and raised in London. Her Nigerian roots and culture heavily inspire her work and compelling visuals. She combines photography and set design for a deeper exploration of her concepts and love to create unique environments for her subjects. Diversifying the African narrative is a driving force in her work.
Manny Jefferson is a portrait, documentary and fashion photographer based in Lagos in Nigeria.Utilizing Lagos’s dramatic landscapes, hazy sunsets, and inimitable street style, he captures the city’s thriving scene and people with charm and ease.
Mikey Oshai is a 26-year old Nigerian/American contemporary photographer, filmmaker and creative director. In his work he tells stories that imbibe the old through the modern lens.
Mikey’s work can be recognised for its elegance, elevated style and sophistication.
Currently undertaking her fine art undergraduate degree at Falmouth University, Ore’s artwork aims to critically evaluate mundanity and the meaning of life, playfully engaging audiences prompting them to contemplate larger questions about our lives. She explore abstract ideas such as nothingness, meaninglessness and pointlessness in everyday life and the environment around her, presenting her own relationship towards them, as well as the attitudes of others, creating works that are personal and confessional in tone yet universal.
Ruth Ginika Ossai is a Yorkshire-based photographer who started her career shooting her family in Nigeria and Yorkshire. At an early stage in her career, she went on to work with fashion brand Kenzo were she collaborated with Akinola Davies Jr and Ibrahim Kamara took her work to wider audience.
Brixton-based British-Nigerian artist Sola Olulode’s dreamy queer visions explore embodiments of British Black Womxn and Non-Binary Folx. Working with various mediums of natural dyeing, batik, wax, ink, pastel, oil bar, and impasto she develops textural canvases that explore the fluidities of identities. Drawing inspiration from lived experience, friends, and cultural reference points to centre Black Queer Womxn, Olulode emphasises the integral need of representation and celebration of queer intimacies.
By Yellowzine