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Yinka Ilori (born April 1987) is a British artist and designer known for his bold use of bright colours and playful designs for furniture and public spaces. His work includes architecture, interior design, graphic design, textiles, sculpture, and furniture. It includes storytelling using design as a medium, referencing his British and Nigerian heritage.
The ''T (magazine), New York Times Style Magazine'' described Ilori as "one of '12 Talents Shaping the Design World'", and ''Abitare'' referred to him as belonging "to a more open-minded and inclusive generation that sees design as offering a possible response to social and environmental changes."
After completing his degree, Ilori worked as an intern with furniture designer Lee Broom. His first solo work was supported by a £3,500 grant from The Prince's Trust. He began his professional practice in 2011, initially by upcycling second-hand furniture, and taking inspiration from the colour and design aesthetic of West African textiles. Early in his career, he worked at a Marks & Spencer store in Moorgate. The company later hired him to design products, including a recyclable carrier bag.
Ilori's mixed cultural heritage is an influence in his work. The Nigerian parables his parents told him as a child have become a major source of inspiration for his designs. In 2013, one such parable, "No matter how long the neck of a giraffe is, it still cannot see the future", led to a five-piece collection of chairs which Ilori transformed from broken and cast-off furniture into abstract, brightly coloured new works of art "to share a lesson from this childhood story — that we should not be judgemental".
More recently he has created public works and installations such as ''Happy Street'', in which he transformed a railway bridge underpass at Nine Elms with brightly coloured murals; ''The Colour Palace'' at Dulwich Picture Gallery, a temporary pavilion described as "a testament to universal themes of [colour], pattern, and celebration"; and ''Get Up Stand Up'' at Somerset House, which "celebrates half a century of black creativity in the UK" and was called "a riot of colour and pattern".
Ilori founded his design studio in 2015. The practice includes architects and designers for whom colour is a key interest. As his team has expanded, Ilori has been able to take on larger-scale architectural and interior design projects. His clients include companies such as Adidas, Kvadrat, Lego, Meta, Nike, Pepsi, and SCP, as well as the NHS foundation trust, NHS Foundation Trust for which he created works for the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, and Springfield University Hospital.
In 2020 he launched an eponymous homeware brand which manufactures and distributes his own products. He was also awarded the ''Emerging Design Medal'' by the London Design Festival.
Ilori collaborated with British stage designer Es Devlin on the design of the Britannia statuettes for the 2021 Brit Awards, BRIT Awards.
In 2022 Ilori designed a playground named ''The Flamboyance of Flamingos'' in Parsloes Park, East London. In the same year, the Design Museum in London staged an exhibition of his work featuring 100 of his projects as well as "Canary Wharf's first ever basketball court." His work has also been exhibited in museums such as the V&A Dundee, Vitra Design Museum in Basel, and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Guggenheim Bilbao, and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum in New York as part of the Before Yesterday We Could Fly, Afrofuturist Period Room.
Ilori has said, "I use colour as a way of starting a conversation. It's quite a nice way of opening up a topic and softening what could be a harsh reality", and is quoted in ''The Guardian'' as saying, "My work is very much about inclusivity and how people enjoy design." He lives and works in London, and was made a Order of the British Empire, Member of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours, New Year's Honours.
According to the architect David Adjaye, Ilori's work "transcends just function and product and acts as a device for cultural memory".
In July 2024, Ilori was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) "for his outstanding contributions to art and design."
In September 2024, Ilori has introduced a new clothing collection in collaboration with The North Face, featuring his trademark vibrant patterns. The NSE collection (Never Stop Exploring) has been described by the brand as its "most playful" to date. It includes a range of items such as rain jackets, fleeces, sweatshirts, trousers, t-shirts, and a bag.
''Yinka Ilori on the feelings and emotions of chairs''
interview at Design Indaba
''In the studio: artist and designer Yinka Ilori''
short film from the Design Museum *
Artist Yinka Ilori teams up with kids to build the "Launderette of Dreams"
'' short film *
The making of the "Launderette of Dreams" by Yinka Ilori
', short film {{DEFAULTSORT:Ilori, Yinka 1987 births Alumni of London Metropolitan University Artists from the London Borough of Islington Black British artists BRIT Award trophy designers British textile designers Designers from London English fashion designers English furniture designers English graphic designers English installation artists English interior designers English muralists English people of Nigerian descent Living people Members of the Order of the British Empire People from Islington (district) Product designers
Early life and education
Ilori grew up in a multicultural neighbourhood on Essex Road in Islington and attended St Jude and St Paul's Church of England Primary School. His father was a store manager for B&Q and his mother worked as an events caterer. Ilori recalls the vibrant outfits worn by his parents' friends and family at house parties when he was little. Visiting Nigeria as a child had an important impact on him and helped him better understand his family's cultural heritage. Ilori studied art and design (with a focus on furniture and product design) at London Metropolitan University from 2006 to 2009.Career
After completing his degree, Ilori worked as an intern with furniture designer Lee Broom. His first solo work was supported by a £3,500 grant from The Prince's Trust. He began his professional practice in 2011, initially by upcycling second-hand furniture, and taking inspiration from the colour and design aesthetic of West African textiles. Early in his career, he worked at a Marks & Spencer store in Moorgate. The company later hired him to design products, including a recyclable carrier bag.
Ilori's mixed cultural heritage is an influence in his work. The Nigerian parables his parents told him as a child have become a major source of inspiration for his designs. In 2013, one such parable, "No matter how long the neck of a giraffe is, it still cannot see the future", led to a five-piece collection of chairs which Ilori transformed from broken and cast-off furniture into abstract, brightly coloured new works of art "to share a lesson from this childhood story — that we should not be judgemental".
More recently he has created public works and installations such as ''Happy Street'', in which he transformed a railway bridge underpass at Nine Elms with brightly coloured murals; ''The Colour Palace'' at Dulwich Picture Gallery, a temporary pavilion described as "a testament to universal themes of [colour], pattern, and celebration"; and ''Get Up Stand Up'' at Somerset House, which "celebrates half a century of black creativity in the UK" and was called "a riot of colour and pattern".
Ilori founded his design studio in 2015. The practice includes architects and designers for whom colour is a key interest. As his team has expanded, Ilori has been able to take on larger-scale architectural and interior design projects. His clients include companies such as Adidas, Kvadrat, Lego, Meta, Nike, Pepsi, and SCP, as well as the NHS foundation trust, NHS Foundation Trust for which he created works for the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, and Springfield University Hospital.
In 2020 he launched an eponymous homeware brand which manufactures and distributes his own products. He was also awarded the ''Emerging Design Medal'' by the London Design Festival.
Ilori collaborated with British stage designer Es Devlin on the design of the Britannia statuettes for the 2021 Brit Awards, BRIT Awards.
In 2022 Ilori designed a playground named ''The Flamboyance of Flamingos'' in Parsloes Park, East London. In the same year, the Design Museum in London staged an exhibition of his work featuring 100 of his projects as well as "Canary Wharf's first ever basketball court." His work has also been exhibited in museums such as the V&A Dundee, Vitra Design Museum in Basel, and the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao, Guggenheim Bilbao, and is held in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Metropolitan Museum in New York as part of the Before Yesterday We Could Fly, Afrofuturist Period Room.
Ilori has said, "I use colour as a way of starting a conversation. It's quite a nice way of opening up a topic and softening what could be a harsh reality", and is quoted in ''The Guardian'' as saying, "My work is very much about inclusivity and how people enjoy design." He lives and works in London, and was made a Order of the British Empire, Member of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours, New Year's Honours.
According to the architect David Adjaye, Ilori's work "transcends just function and product and acts as a device for cultural memory".
In July 2024, Ilori was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) "for his outstanding contributions to art and design."
In September 2024, Ilori has introduced a new clothing collection in collaboration with The North Face, featuring his trademark vibrant patterns. The NSE collection (Never Stop Exploring) has been described by the brand as its "most playful" to date. It includes a range of items such as rain jackets, fleeces, sweatshirts, trousers, t-shirts, and a bag.
Selected projects
*2019 ''Colour Palace'', Dulwich Picture Gallery, London, UK *2019 ''Happy Street'', London Festival of Architecture and Wandsworth Council, UK *2020 ''Colorama'' skate park, ''La Condition Publique'' cultural centre, Lille, France *2021 ''Laundrette of Dreams'', Lego Collaboration, London, UK *2021 ''Transparency in Shades of Colour'', London, UK *2021 ''Bring London Together'', UK *2021 ''The Sound of Movement'', Labrum London, Spring-Summer 2022 show, UK *2021 ''Lick x Yinka Ilori Maximalist Brights'', Wallpaper collection *2021 ''sonsbeek20→24'' Sonsbeek, Arnhem, Netherlands *2021 ''Dodge'', Somerset House, London, UK *2021 ''Promise me memories and I will let you in'', Greenwich Peninsula, London, UK *2022 ''Layers of Movement'', Meta, London, UK *2022 ''The Flamboyance of Flamingos'', Parsloes Park Play Area, East London, UK *2022 ''Filtered Rays'', Hotel Estrel, Berlin *2023 ''From Greener Pastures'', Labrum London, Autumn–Winter 2023 show, UK *2023 Public Art Piece, The Rowe (School of Art, Architecture and Design (London Metropolitan University)#Controversy over sale of Central House, Central House, former London Metropolitan University Cass School of Architecture), London, UK *2023 ''Types of Happiness'', The Line (art trail), The Line art trail, London, UK *2024 ''Omi Okun'', commission for Merchandise Mart#"Art on theMART", ''Art on The Mart'', Chicago, US *2024 ''Shaped to the Measure of the People’s Songs: Reflection in Numbers'' pavilion, Haus der Kulturen der Welt, HKW, Berlin, Germany *2024 ''Slices of Peace'', Orchard Park, Kent, UK (with Peter Adjaye) *2025 ''100 Found Objects'', Fulham Pier, LondonExhibitions
Solo
*2013 ''It Started With a Parable,'' Jaguar Shoes, London Design Week *2014 ''This is Where It Started,'' The Whitespace Gallery, Lagos *2015 ''If Chairs Could Talk,'' The Shop At Bluebird *2022 ''Yinka Ilori: Parables for Happiness'', the Design Museum, LondonGroup
*2014 ''Africa Calling,'' Africa Utopia, Southbank Centre, London *2015 ''Home Affairs,'' NOW Gallery, London *2015 ''Making Africa,'' Vitra Design Museum, Basel. Guggenheim Museum Bilbao *2020 ''Knit!,'' Kvadrat (company), Kvadrat, CopenhagenPublications
* ''Pricegore & Yinka Ilori: Dulwich Pavilion''. Dingle Price, Alex Gore, Job Floris, Sumayya Vally, Yinka Ilori Studio, Pricegore. Zurich. 2021. . . * Reynolds, Jason (2018). ''For every one''. London. . . (cover design by Yinka Ilori)References
External links
*''Yinka Ilori on the feelings and emotions of chairs''
interview at Design Indaba
''In the studio: artist and designer Yinka Ilori''
short film from the Design Museum *
Artist Yinka Ilori teams up with kids to build the "Launderette of Dreams"
'' short film *
The making of the "Launderette of Dreams" by Yinka Ilori
', short film {{DEFAULTSORT:Ilori, Yinka 1987 births Alumni of London Metropolitan University Artists from the London Borough of Islington Black British artists BRIT Award trophy designers British textile designers Designers from London English fashion designers English furniture designers English graphic designers English installation artists English interior designers English muralists English people of Nigerian descent Living people Members of the Order of the British Empire People from Islington (district) Product designers