United Kingdom (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – When Nigerian artist Ayobami Adelaye arrived in the United Kingdom, he expected rain, polite people, and maybe the occasional scone. What he didn’t expect was how much art would save him from the confusion of starting over.
“Moving to a new country is like trying to paint with new colours,”
he laughs.
“You recognise some shades, but the lighting is different. Nothing mixes the same.”
For Adelaye, who has been creating for nearly a decade, art has become a way to translate his journey of migration — not just the struggle, but the humour and curiosity that come with it. He paints what he calls the “beautiful chaos” of adaptation, using bright tones and layered textures to explore how identity shifts when you move across borders.
“The UK is this strange mix of politeness and paperwork,”
he says.
“You’re constantly learning — how to greet, how to queue, how to be seen.”
But instead of frustration, he finds inspiration in the differences.
His recent paintings blend satire with soft emotion, showing figures suspended between laughter and longing. Adelaye’s optimism is contagious.
“The art world here is tough, but it’s open,”
he says.
“You just have to show up, learn, and make people feel something. People might not understand your accent, but they understand your art.”
He speaks about his time in Lagos with pride, describing it as a “creative jungle” that prepared him for anything.
“In Lagos, you learn resourcefulness early. You make things out of nothing — ideas, materials, stories. That spirit followed me here. It’s the same hunger, just colder weather.”
Between exhibitions and late-night painting sessions, he’s finding his rhythm in the UK — part of a growing wave of African artists reshaping what diaspora art can look like.
“There’s something exciting about showing a different side of where you come from,”
he says.
“Not the struggle, but the laughter, the rhythm, the boldness.”
For Adelaye, immigration hasn’t just changed his life; it’s expanded his language as an artist.
“I don’t see migration as loss anymore,”
he says, smiling.
“It’s a remix. You keep your roots, but you add new sounds, new shades. It’s still you — just with better weatherproofing.”
And as he continues to exhibit across the UK, including at Chatham House, Adelaye’s story stands as proof that identity isn’t something you lose when you move; it’s something you grow into.
“Every painting is a little love letter to everywhere I’ve been,”
he says.
“Nigeria made me, the UK is teaching me, and art keeps reminding me that home is not a place — it’s something you keep creating.”
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