AXIS

I was raised by my grandmother and aunts. I learnt a lot from them. They all have an essence of glamour, and I’d admit that I had even absorbed some of their characters unconsciously, and that contributes a great deal to who I am today.

Curiosity and Creative Discovery

When I was young I was also really inquisitive as a child; I wanted to know how things worked and were created. Progressively, I began to research and learn about fashion, photography, writing, film, and other creative mediums. I had discovered the works of designers like Alexander McQueen, Jean Paul Gaultier, Dries Van Noten, Marc Jacobs at Louis Vuitton, and most especially the Mugler couture archives on Fashion TV — and I was intrigued!

I was transported to an entirely different world of fashion, beauty, and glamour. Without a doubt, these moments made me want to be a part of the creative world.

Stepping into Fashion

Initially, I started off as a Model Scout at Beth Model Management and was eventually promoted as Head of Scout, globally. I scouted, organised castings and open calls, managed a constantly evolving team, and eventually decided to explore my other interests in fashion. I worked backstage at shows, assisted stylists and designers, worked as a volunteer for events, and eventually stepped up to Costume Design, Styling, and Directing.

Finding My Visual Voice

I had so many ideas for images that I wanted to create, but my skills were limited to Design, Styling, Film Production and Directing at that time. Eventually, I had to learn how to photograph by myself and on research-based knowledge. At that point, it all just became a mélange of image-making skills that I had developed over time and wanted to incorporate to create my visions.

I’d say my work is flamboyant, culturally significant, intentional, and very symbolic. I consider Lagos to be a living being — constantly evolving and always up to something. I’ve imbibed some of her characteristics in relation to how I work, the kind of work that I do, and everything else in-between. There’s a strong sense of connection between the beauty, chaos and rhythm of Lagos and myself as an individual.

Fluid Visual Language

To be honest, I don’t have a definite visual language, but right now I’m exploring animated, surrealistic approaches to real life situations.

I just want to amplify the voices of the oppressed. These subjects I explore translate to real people — it’s their reality — and I want to let them know that they are seen, loved, respected, and heard not only through my works but also through my deeds and in reality.

Art as Resistance

Yes, quite recently. I began developing a body of work that challenges patriarchy and diminishes misogyny, and it just made me realise how powerful my voice and perspective is as an artist. There are so many relative contexts in my works and they tackle several subjects differently.

I strongly believe that it is my responsibility to do these things because they’re the root of my work. As I really enjoy working with these two subjects a lot because they complement one another. As an artist, I believe in the significance of certain spaces because so much can be communicated in them without necessarily interacting verbally.

A good example is my work in collaboration with Tamibé Bourdanne, My Coy Lover, where we explored the impact of space and minimal interaction to deliver a theme of love and romance in Lagos. Incorporating one of the city’s most monumental infrastructures. I do think about emotional rhythm often in connection with certain things, situations, and places.

I’ve been thinking about ceramic art, inspired by some magnificent ceramic artists in Lagos like Fiyin Koko and Olubunmi Atere. I would really love to explore that medium and create something like a collection for myself that I can look back to in the near future.

I’m currently working on two bodies of work simultaneously. One is inspired by the women in my life while the other is inspired by friendship, love, and community. I cannot wait to share them both with you and my amazing community as well.