Artist

Duro Olowu is a Nigerian-born, London-based fashion designer. He is best known for his innovative combinations of patterns and textiles that draw inspiration from his international background. His empire waist patchwork "Duro" dress was named "dress of the year" by both American and British Vogue in 2005. Some of Olowu's notable clients include Michelle Obama, [...]

Lisa Folawiyo is a Nigerian fashion designer who is best known for incorporating traditional West African textiles with modern tailoring techniques with an emphasis on beading and sequin trim. She has a background in law, which she studied at the University of Lagos. Lisa Folawiyo started her label "Jewel by Lisa" in 2005 from her [...]

Taibo Bacar, the Mozambican born fashion designer is considered one of the leading designers in Africa. Early years The son of a seamstress, Taibo grew up around the sounds of sewing machines, fabrics and the design sketches that he drew for some of his mother’s clients so it’s no surprise he progressed from having a [...]

Sindiso Khumalo is a sustainable textile designer based in Cape Town. Central St Martins graduate, Khumalo, studied architecture at the University of Cape Town prior to moving to London, where she went onto study a Masters in Design for Textile Futures. Sindiso Khumalo founded her eponymous label with a focus on creating modern sustainable textiles [...]

Trevor Noah  is a South African comedian, political commentator, and television host. He is the current host of The Daily Show, an American satirical news program on Comedy Central. Born in Johannesburg, Noah began his career as a comedian, presenter, and actor in his native South Africa in 2002. He subsequently held several television hosting [...]

Sokari Douglas Camp CBE is a London-based artist who has had exhibitions all over the world and was the recipient of a bursary from the Henry Moore Foundation. She was honoured as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2005 Birthday Honours list. Sokari Douglas Camp CBE (born 1958 in Nigeria) [...]

Abdoulaye Konaté was born in Mali in 1953 Medium: Textiles Materials: Woven and dyed clothes from his native Mali On the space between figuration and abstraction: “The visual difference for me is relatively low. Up to a certain level, the imagining of the figurative finds himself in abstraction. Just think of looking at a cloudy [...]

Ransome Stanley was born to a Nigerian father and German mother in 1953 Medium: Painting On his style: “I don’t consider myself a ‘collage artist,’ but I would say that collage describes my thinking process — nonlinear, absurd, sometimes beautiful, sometimes grotesque and fragmented.” On his penchant for the color black: “One of my main [...]

Lionel Smit was born in South Africa in 1982 Medium: Painting, sculpture, print Favorite artists: Francis Bacon, Andy Warhol and Lucian Freud On when he wanted to become an artist: “It wasn’t something I decided at first, but I grew up in an artistic home — my father is a sculptor — so it is [...]

Gonçalo Mabunda was born in Mozambique in 1975. Medium: Sculpture made from weapons Materials: AK-47s, land mines, rocket launchers, soldiers’ boots and helmets, tanks On his artistic mission: “Trying to represent each [person] who died with this same material ... If we destroy the weapons, the same weapon’s not going to kill any more.” Controversy: [...]

Nnenna Okore was born in Nigeria, 1975. Medium: Abstract sculpture from textural materials Artist statement: “I am intrigued by natural events like aging, death and decay that bring about weathering and dilapidation in objects and natural forms — processes that subtly capture the fluid and delicate nature of life.” On her use of decaying materials: [...]

William Joseph Kentridge was born in South Africa, in 1955) Medium: Prints, drawing and animation Influences: Dumile Feni Mhlaba, Otto Dix and Max Beckmann On the intersection of drawing and animation: “There is also a way of thinking of an etching as an extraordinarily, ridiculously complicated form of animation, different states of the plate, when [...]

Aboudia Abdoulaye Diarrassouba was born on the Ivory Coast in 1983 Medium: Painting On his style: “My work is similar to that of a journalist writing an article: I was simply describing a situation, in order to create a record of my country’s recent history. But even before the crisis I worked on similar themes, [...]

Peju Alatise was born in Nigeria, in 1975 Medium: Painting, sculpture Inspirations: David Dale, Bruce Onabrakpeya, Susanna Wenger, Anslem Kieffer, Antony Gormley, Ai Wei Wei, Motohiko Odani and Do Ho Suh On African art: “In my opinion, art from Africa remains still largely burdened by negative social, political and economic realities from its mother continent, [...]

El Anatsui was born in Ghana, in 1944) Medium: Found object sculpture On his use of recycled materials: “I return them to use by giving them a different function — a higher function — maybe even the ultimate function. Each bottle-top returning as an object of contemplation has the capacity to reveal to us a [...]

Cheri Samba was born in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in 1956. Medium: Painting Previous jobs: Billboard painting and comic strip design On drawing as a child: “I grew up in a village where we could catch and grow all our own food. I used to enjoy sketching animals and faces with my finger in [...]

O’Plérou Grebet is 22. He is a Graphic Designer, Digital Artist and founder of Zouzoukwa, a Creative Tech company of the Ivory Coast. Quiet, creative and impactful are pretty much the words that sum up O’Plérou Grebet, the Ivorian graphic designer on a mission to promote African cultures in modern and interactive ways. Early years [...]