Gloria Ojulari Sule

Gloria Ojulari Sule
Born
Gloria Folerin Yeside Ojulari

(1950-11-06)6 November 1950
London, England, UK
DiedJune 2024(2024-06-00) (aged 73)
EducationNorwich School of Art and Design, BA, 1996
Occupations
Children1
Websitegloria-ojulari-sule.weebly.com

Gloria Folerin Yeside Ojulari Sule (née Ojulari; 6 November 1950 – June 2024) was a British artist and educator based in Bristol.[1][2] Sule's work explored cultural identity, in particular the identities of mixed race people in the United Kingdom.[3]

Early life and education

Sule was born Gloria Folerin Yeside Ojulari on 6 November 1950 in London to a British mother and a Yoruba Nigerian father.[1][2][4][5] The racism faced by her parents as a mixed race couple evidently led to their separation, after which Sule and her brother where placed in a children’s home in Suffolk.[1][2]

In 1996, Sule graduated for the from the Norwich School of Art and Design with a BA in Fine Art Painting.[1][2] Sule also held a City and Guilds Certificate in Further Adult Education Teaching.[3]

Career

Following graduation, Sule moved to Bristol.[1][2] To promote art in her local community, Sule has participated in community arts, adult education and early years education. As part of the renewal scheme of St Paul's, Bristol, she painted a well-known mural, covering seven metres on the side of a building in St Paul's. She has also painted shop signs for the Renewal Scheme, murals in Brighton Street and fascia in St Agnes, Bristol.[3] In 2002 she worked as artist researcher advising the planning and development of St Paul's Learning and Family Centre, a community centre in St Pauls, Bristol.[6]

A textile artwork What's our Story (2010) was commissioned by Brent Museum in response to the British Museum's touring exhibition Fabric of a Nation. An interactive costume designed for two children to wear at the same time, it was inspired by Egungun masquerade costumes worn at Yoruba festivals, Ghanaian kente and adinkra cloth, and contemporary African artwork.[7]

In 2018, Ojulari Sule relocated to Buenaventura, Colombia to live with her daughter.[1][2] Sule later settled in Cali.[2]

In June 2024, Sule died in Colombia aged 73.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Iacono, Irene. "Gloria Ojulari Sule artist". Ben Uri Research Unit. London: Ben Uri Gallery & Museum. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 CognitivePaths (21 February 2026). "Proclaiming Our Heritage: The Global Journey of Gloria Ojulari Sule". Black Bristol History Month. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Sunmonu, Yinka (2002). "Sule, Gloria Ojulari". In Donnell, Alison (ed.). Companion to Contemporary Black British Culture. Routledge. pp. 289–290. ISBN 978-1-134-70025-7.
  4. ↑ "Gloria F G Ojulari [birth index]". England and Wales Civil Registration Indexes. 5d (Q4). London: General Register Office: 480. 1950.
  5. ↑ "Gloria Folerin Yeside OJULARI SULE". Companies House: Find and update company information. GOV.UK. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  6. ↑ Alastair Snow (2005). "Monuments and Monkey Puzzles: Public Art in Bristol". In Malcolm Miles; Tim Hall (eds.). Interventions. Intellect Books. p. 50. ISBN 978-1-84150-118-5.
  7. ↑ Christopher Spring (2012). African Textiles Today. Smithsonian Institution. p. 97. ISBN 978-1-58834-380-2.