YINKA ILORI
ICON OF TODAY
Yinka Ilori is a British Nigerian artist and designer celebrated for joyful, colourful and socially engaged work. Trained in furniture design, he combines traditional Nigerian parables with contemporary practice to create pieces that tell stories of community and heritage. His visual language is confident and optimistic, with saturated colour, graphic pattern and text used to spark conversation as much as delight.
Portrait by Kane Hulse
Courtesy of Sotheby’s
Courtesy of Sotheby’s
He first came to attention by upcycling vintage chairs into one off artworks, each piece carrying a proverb that folded memory and meaning into everyday objects. That approach has grown into a broader design practice that treats streets, bridges and public squares as places for storytelling. Installations across London have turned infrastructure into moments of play and belonging, inviting people to pause, look up and feel part of the city.
Courtesy of Bloomingdale's
Museum and gallery projects have explored this narrative more closely, including a major presentation that traced his process from sketch to city scale and highlighted the role of parables in shaping his work. Alongside this cultural programme he collaborates with global brands across fashion, sport and culture, bringing the same clarity of colour and inclusive spirit to commercial projects without losing purpose.
Community is central to his method. Workshops with local residents and young people often inform the final outcome, and materials are chosen with care, from reused furniture to durable finishes made to last outdoors. The result is design that is playful and grounded, personal and public at once. His practice shows how imagination can change the atmosphere of a place, and how colour and story can open doors to a more inclusive city.
Photo by Sam Roberts
MEET MORE ICONS OF TODAY
