Yinka Ilori: Conveys New Narratives Through His Visual Language Of Art And Design. Bold, provocative and playful are a few words to best describe the work of multidiscipline artist and designer Yinka Ilori; his practice focuses on telling new stories through contemporary design influenced by his British-Nigerian heritage. Ilori is passionate about making art and design accessible to all, and his work is an aesthetic declaration of this as it’s all about community and positive impact, from his buoyant laundrette to the multicoloured basketball court. Ilori stays true to his principle of making art and design accessible.
Nigerian tradition is at the heart of Ilori’s work, from the colours he uses to the shapes and words. Ilori unifies every element to conceive a fluid visual language that speaks to the senses, allowing you to see the world in new ways. Often using the city as a canvas, Ilori exemplifies his language across diverse objects, from bespoke utensils and furniture to architecture and public art and more. The magnetism of his visual dialect caught the attention of The Queen, who then awarded him with the esteemed accolade of an MBE for those with outstanding achievements that have made a lasting impact. An impressive feat for an artist who critiqued the same Monarchy that had crowned him a member of the empire.
Ilori’s work has led him to collaborate with numerous international brands and institutions, from Bulgari, Meta and Nike to the V&A, Design London and more. In his latest project, Ilori will employ the medium of light for his first-ever light installation titled “Dancing Ribbons“, a rhythmic light installation that will illuminate Liverpool for the city’s River of Light 2022. We caught up with Ilori to learn more about his practice, inspiration and new installation at Liverpool’s River of Light.
Q: Hi Yinka! How are you doing? Thank you for taking the time to speak with us. Can you please introduce yourself for those who do not know you?
A: My name is Yinka Ilori, and I’m a British-Nigerian designer and artist based in London. I started my career as a furniture designer. Since then, I’ve moved into large-scale commissions and projects, including public installations, brand collaborations as well as my own homeware and lifestyle products. My work is humorous, provocative and playful, and I use art and design to tell stories, bring communities together and evoke a sense of joy and optimism. Through my work, I fuse culture and concepts. I often reference my Nigerian roots but also reflect on my upbringing in London and the ideas of identity and place are embedded in my work.
Q: Can you tell us how you started in design and arts, how they have played a role in your life, and why you decided to become an artist and designer?
A: I always wanted to become a designer. I studied furniture and product design at London Metropolitan University. During my first year, we had to complete a project called ‘Our Chair’. It was inspired by Martino Gamper’s chair series, ‘100 chairs in 100 days. The brief was to source old chairs, dismantle them into pieces and use all the original components to create a new chair. This project opened my eyes to new ways of working and understanding the importance of storytelling. It is something that influenced my early work.
