Once you’ve seen Yinka Ilori’s work, his style becomes instantly recognisable thereafter – partly because of its unique blend of angular geometry and lively colour, but also because the moment you lay eyes upon it, it seems to trigger that part of your subconscious mind responsible for recognising the visual embodiment of happiness itself.
Drawing heavily on his British-Nigerian roots, he’s put together work spanning everything from architecture, to graphic design, sculpture, interiors and furniture. He created a dazzling basketball court in Canary Wharf. He made a laundrette out of Lego. He built an installation around a dodgems circuit in Somerset House. He’s done a lot, and you’re more likely than not to have come across some of his stuff already.
His work very deliberately radiates joy, and it’s given his career a meteoric trajectory. After only opening his studio in 2017, he’s already created enough culturally impactful works to garner his own show, now open at at the Design Museum.
What can you expect? Well, they’re exploring his artistic process, with an exploration of the West African fabrics that surrounded him as a child, and the British Postmodernism that he was then exposed to as an adolescent, to see how they come together to create his distinctive aesthetic. And so far you can expect some pretty excellent reviews…
Hopefully, there’ll be no need for colourful language.
NOTE: Yinka Ilori at the Design Museum is set to open now, until the 25th June 2023. It’s completely free, and you can find out more at the website right HERE.
The Design Museum | 224-238 Kensington High Street, W8 6AG
Big museum fan? Take a look at our Best Museums In London guide.