Adejoke Tugbiyele

Adejoke Aderonke Tugbiyele
Tugbiyele in 2013
Born (1977-12-04) December 4, 1977
Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
EducationHigh School of Art and Design
Alma materNew Jersey Institute of Technology,
Maryland Institute College of Art
Occupationsmultidisciplinary visual artist, filmmaker, Activist

Adejoke Aderonke Tugbiyele Listenⓘ (born December 4, 1977) is a Nigerian-American multidisciplinary visual artist and activist.[1][2] She is known primarily as a sculptor, performer, and filmmaker, but has also worked in painting, drawing, and textiles.[3][4] Her work deals with issues of human rights, queer rights and women's rights.[5][1][6] She lives in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.[7]

Biography

Early life

Adejoke Aderonke Tugbiyele was born December 4, 1977, in Brooklyn, New York City, New York.[8][9] At the age of four, she moved with her family to Lagos, Nigeria and lived there until she was 11.[10] In high school, she returned to New York City to attend the High School of Art and Design.[7] She is queer.[6]

Education

Tugbiyele has a B.S. degree (2002) in architecture from New Jersey Institute of Technology;[7] and a M.F.A. degree (2013) from the Rinehart School of Sculpture at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA).[8]

Organizational affiliation

Tugbiyele has been affiliated with the Nigerian NGO, Initiative for Equal Rights which provides emergency assistance to LGBTQ Nigerians.[6] She has served as a United States-based representative for Solidarity Alliance for Human Rights, a coalition of Nigerian organizations working for human rights, queer rights and activism, and to fight against HIV/AIDS.[6] She is also a juror and mentor for an organization that supports queer artists in Nigeria called Queer Artists Fund.[11]

Artistic career

Many of Tugbiyele’s sculptures are made from palm spines from West African brooms, which are often used across cultures as a symbolic act of cleansing negative energy from society, and also used in jumping the broom customs.[12] Tugbiyele's work has been influenced by artists including El Anatsui, Fela Kuti, Ai Weiwei, Kara Walker, Zanele Muholi, and Rotimi Fani-Kayode.[6]

Her work is in various public museum collections, including the Brooklyn Museum,[13] and Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw.[14]

In an interview with the British art historian Daniel Fountain, Tugbiyele described that they think about their artistic practice as 'hybrid' in approach. They explained: "‘Hybridity frees the mind from the boundaries and limitations of gender and sexuality, and from the human body in general. It takes us into the spiritual realm, where we can begin to imagine new ways of perceiving and being in the world. Hybridity also makes us more aware of the two-spirit nature of humans and therefore the potential ability to tap into different energies, spontaneously".[15]

Awards

  • 2024: Joan Mitchell Center Artist Residency in New Orleans [11]
  • 2019: Prix Lieridon Grand Prize[11]
  • 2016: Joan Mitchell Painters and Sculptors Grant [11]

References

  1. 1 2 Larson, Vanessa H. (July 18, 2019). "The National Museum of African Art has doubled its holdings of art by women. This show puts their work in the spotlight". The Washington Post.
  2. ↑ Perrée, Rob (2018-03-03). "Adejoke Tugbiyele: I live by example". AFRICANAH.ORG. Arena for Contemporary African, African-American and Caribbean Art. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
  3. ↑ Thomas, Alexandra M. (2020-10-29). "Embodying a Queer, Pan-Africanist Approach to Spirituality". Hyperallergic. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
  4. ↑ Goniwe, Thembinkosi. "Hybrid Spirit: Thembinkosi Goniwe reflects on the work of Adejoke Tugbiyele". Art Africa Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-11-30. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
  5. ↑ Kuijers, Isabella (October 7, 2015). "Manuscript Truths: Adejoke Tugbiyele's 'Testimony'". ArtThrob. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 Sefa-Boakye, Jennifer (2015-06-09). "Nigerian-American LGBT Activist & Artist Adejoke Tugbiyele's 'Queer African Spirit'". OkayAfrica. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
  7. 1 2 3 Preece, Robert (2020-09-23). "Beyond Physicality: A Conversation with Adejoke Tugbiyele". Sculpture. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
  8. 1 2 "Artists: Adejoke Tugbiyele". National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on 2021-11-30. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
  9. ↑ "This Week in African Arts and Culture (October 25 – 31, 2020)". Sugarcane Magazine, Black Art Magazine. 2020-11-02. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
  10. ↑ "ADEJOKE TUGBIYELE". STORM PROJECTS. 2014-06-10. Retrieved 2025-03-31.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Adejoke Aderonke Tugbiyele". Joan Mitchell Foundation. 2024-01-17. Retrieved 2025-04-25.
  12. ↑ "Adejoke Tugbiyele's Hybrid Forms and Second-Skins". 2020-04-03. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
  13. ↑ "Homeless Hungry Homo". Brooklyn Museum. Retrieved 2021-11-30.
  14. ↑ "Adejoke Tugbiyele, Afrykańska odyseja IV: 100 lat później". Muzeum Sztuki Nowoczesnej w Warszawie (in Polish). Retrieved 2021-11-30.
  15. ↑ "Adejoke Tugbiyele's Hybrid Forms and Second-Skins". 2020-04-03. Retrieved 2026-06-15.

Adejoke Tugbiyele on Instagram

Further reading

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