Artist 101

1.

One to Watch

Yinka Ilori was born in 1987 in north London to Nigerian parents and grew up surrounded by stories from their homeland. While studying product and furniture design at London Metropolitan University, Ilori was captivated by the idea that objects can tell stories. Upcycling chairs for a first-year project, he discovered the joy of giving old objects a new identity.

With the help of a £3,500 grant from the Prince’s Trust, Ilori launched his first collection of furniture at the London Design Festival in 2011. It was at that same festival four years later that he had his commercial breakthrough; If Chairs Could Talk was an exhibition of upcycled chairs inspired by his childhood friends, and marked a turning point for the young designer. He has been in constant demand ever since and opened his eponymous studio in 2017.

2.

Style and Influences

After graduating in 2009, Ilori made several trips to Nigeria and found a new respect for the richness of his parents’ culture. It inspired him to develop his signature style, invigorating British design with the bright colours and bold patterns of his Nigerian heritage. The celebration of African culture permeates beneath the eye-catching aesthetics; his designs are also shaped by the parables and proverbs he was taught as a child.

Storytelling is central to Ilori’s process. In taking “pre-loved” objects and transforming them, he acknowledges their past and adds a new chapter to their story. It’s a form of cultural exchange, the merging of British and Nigerian cultures and customs, and it tells his own story, drawing on the mix of influences from his formative years.

3.

Design

Since his first collection of upcycled chairs, Ilori has applied his talents across many media, his designs delivering a hit of colour wherever it’s needed, from a public space to the kitchen table. The scale of his works has expanded to include immersive installations such as Playland at Cannes film festival and an indoor skate park for La Condition Publique.

In 2020, lockdown brought Ilori’s focus back into the studio, where he spent his time developing a range of limited-edition homewares, including linens and ceramics, all packed with his trademark colours and patterns.

4.

Collaborations: Adidas London, Project Earth and more

In the past few years, Ilori has worked with brands and institutions on collaborations that reflect the key themes of his work: sustainability, positivity and cultural exchange. As part of the 2018 World Cup celebrations, he designed a bench made from sustainable materials for Adidas London, and in 2020 his striking window displays at Selfridges drew attention to their Project Earth campaign.

In 2019, Ilori produced a limited edition print celebrating multiculturalism for Universal’s Brit Awards Nominees. When the pandemic hit in 2020, his optimism took the form of a public art installation dedicated to the NHS: the message “better days are coming I promise” stretched across a Southwark street in neon pink. At Somerset House, his exhibition design for Get Up, Stand Up Now (2019) transformed the neoclassical space into an explosion of colour; in the same year, his pavilion, The Colour Palace, brought the spirit of a Lagos market to the grounds of Dulwich Picture Gallery.

5.

On the Market

Ilori’s eye-catching designs lend themselves to commercial artworks as much as public installations. In 2019, his first AI-driven artwork, created in collaboration with Bombay Sapphire, was unveiled at Frieze London.

Today, you can find unique works by Ilori at auction from £2,000. These works are accessible versions of his spectacular large-scale projects, which draw on traditional Nigerian patterns with a nostalgic nod to 1980s Britain. Start your collection of work by this in-demand and diverse artist today.

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