Funmi Lijadu
Funmi Lijadu is a contemporary Nigerian-British writer, collage artist, and journalist based in London. Educated at The University of Edinburgh, Lijadu’s highly experimental practice treats art and life as explicitly intertwined. Her studio practice focuses on handmade physical paper collages, animation, and stop-motion media, reusing everyday materials like books, old magazines, receipts, and posters to imbue them with new artistic definitions. With a distinct surrealist sensibility and a deeply contemplative approach, her work actively investigates pressing social issues, black identity, colonial legacy, and the hidden histories that led to our present, all while imagining more equitable futures.
Lijadu’s forward-thinking approach has garnered significant institutional recognition in the United Kingdom. Her work was showcased at the Shape Arts Open in 2021, and she has twice been commissioned by Tate Collective for Black History Month to visually respond to masterpieces within their collection. Beyond individual gallery showcases—such as exhibiting a surrealist collage at Tate Modern during a Tate Late event celebrating Dora Maar—Lijadu is deeply committed to community engagement. She frequently facilitates inclusive, hands-on collage and zine-making workshops at world-renowned cultural institutions like the Barbican Centre and has partnered with advocacy organizations, including leading the Activism Through Art programme with The Young Women's Movement (Young Women Scotland).
Funmi Lijadu is a contemporary Nigerian-British writer, collage artist, and journalist based in London. Educated at The University of Edinburgh, Lijadu’s highly experimental practice treats art and life as explicitly intertwined. Her studio practice focuses on handmade physical paper collages, animation, and stop-motion media, reusing everyday materials like books, old magazines, receipts, and posters to imbue them with new artistic definitions. With a distinct surrealist sensibility and a deeply contemplative approach, her work actively investigates pressing social issues, black identity, colonial legacy, and the hidden histories that led to our present, all while imagining more equitable futures.
Lijadu’s forward-thinking approach has garnered significant institutional recognition in the United Kingdom. Her work was showcased at the Shape Arts Open in 2021, and she has twice been commissioned by Tate Collective for Black History Month to visually respond to masterpieces within their collection. Beyond individual gallery showcases—such as exhibiting a surrealist collage at Tate Modern during a Tate Late event celebrating Dora Maar—Lijadu is deeply committed to community engagement. She frequently facilitates inclusive, hands-on collage and zine-making workshops at world-renowned cultural institutions like the Barbican Centre and has partnered with advocacy organizations, including leading the Activism Through Art programme with The Young Women's Movement (Young Women Scotland).
