Afro-Futurism

A word from the artist

This collection of pieces all encompass one idea: An afro-futurist fantasy. I have always been interested to afro-futurism and fantasy is one of my favourite genres so I wanted to marry them in my artworks. My heritage lies in Nigeria which has a rich pre-colonial history that I wanted to capture as well. All the weapons are inspired by pre-colonial weaponary that people in the country used. So is the patterning which is a staple of nigerian ankara styles. If you notice, a lot of gold can be found in my art pieces. This is a reference to Africa as a whole as it is known to be land rich of gold. Usually futurism is characterized with blue accents, but I wanted to give a nod to the continent I love by showcasing futurist accents with gold. The fantasy aspects comes from the fact I love fantasy haha!

Meet the artist:

Ayokunmi Oladesu

Ayokunmi is a third-year film production student. She is excited to be at VCP for her third year and to be a work-study for the first time as the Production and Inclusion Manager for this company! Along with that, she is thrilled to be a part of Bring it On: The Musical as Danielle and the Costume Consultant. She’s also excited to be reuniting with the BIPOC Artist’s Hub for its third year! She has had previous experience as a Stage Manager for VCP’s Labyrinth of Desire and Shifting Ground Collective’s Ordinary Days. Her love for theatre and art only continues to grow.