In Conversation: Yinka Ilori
The In Conversation series celebrates the stories and style of pioneers across the creative industries. We explore their craft, from beginnings to breakthroughs, and uncover how their Cutler and Gross frames mirror their unique aesthetic.
Art direction by David Hellqvist | Photography by Alex Kurunis | Interview by Imogen Massey
Entering Yinka Ilori’s West London studio is like stepping inside a kaleidoscope. Colours refract from one wall to another, splitting into pinks, yellows, blues, and greens. The scarlet-red doors to his office are dotted with fluorescent portholes and slide open to reveal shelves stacked high with basketballs, sneakers, and bricks of Lego.
The studio, designed in partnership with architect Sam Jacob and populated with seven other creatives, is a microcosm for Ilori’s ethos – one of collaboration and togetherness. He has set his sights on expanding the studio into a bigger “collaborative hub” with a music studio and space “for artists to make things together”. This is a man with limitless vision.
And that vision is unfailingly and infectiously optimistic. Whether it’s his Better days are Coming I Promise mural plastered outside the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital during the pandemic or his technicolour Flamboyance of Flamingos playground, Ilori uses design to connect communities and tell stories. As the British-Nigerian artist shares, “My work has to say something, that’s my purpose.”
Yinka Ilori MBE, dubbed the Architect of Joy, talks to Cutler and Gross about disrupting spaces, formative places, and the importance of affirmations.
CG: You’re a multidisciplinary artist, how do you define what you do?
YI: By profession, I’m a product designer and furniture designer but I don’t know… I’m an artist, a storyteller, a dreamer. I’m an artist who wants to tell stories across different mediums, be that architecture, film, or fashion.
CG: Was being an artist always the plan? Tell us about your career journey.
YI: I finished uni in 2009 and worked for Lee Broom [one of the UK’s leading product designers] for a couple of months. Seeing how he ran his studio, his business, and his design process was really inspiring. I applied for a grant from The Prince’s Trust and used the £3500 to start my collection. My dad was working at [homeware store] B&Q as a store manager at the time and he got me a range of tools, like a table saw and a chisel, and I made my first piece in my parents’ back garden. I created a range of objects that were then exhibited during a design festival in London and that’s kind of when my career started.
CG: Were you creative as a child?
YI: I was, yeah. I was always drawing, making, and playing with objects. I always knew I’d be creative. Even when I was working in Marks & Spencer and Sainsbury’s I saved up my money to fund my creative passion because I had this idea that one day I would have my own artistic practice. And here we are.
CG: Was there a piece or exhibition that was formative for you?
YI: I’m going to flip that question and say that it was a place. And that place is where I grew up: the Marquess Estate on Essex Road in Islington, London. It was a big council estate full of people from all different cultures and backgrounds. That community raised me and gave me an understanding of what good design and architecture is – it showed me how space forms part of your narrative and DNA. It also taught me how to tell and share stories and respect cultures. That estate informed my love of dreams and narratives and inspired me to design for communities.
CG: Community engagement and inclusivity are at the heart of your work; have you always been socially minded?
YI: Yeah, I think so, and I got that from my mum. Our flat was really small, but she’d invite the whole estate over. The parties would flood onto the balcony and into the courtyard downstairs, it was bonkers. I think that’s why my work really does emphasise the power of togetherness. My projects always need to involve people to bring them to life.
CG: If Chairs Could Talk is often regarded as your breakthrough project. What were you looking for when you were collecting the chairs?
YI: I was looking for personality. When I look at objects, especially chairs, I almost see them as people with different needs and emotions. I was also looking for a way to cross-contaminate different cultures in an object – for example, how I could fuse my personal experiences and cultural heritage within an object that, say, originates from Denmark and has ended up in a fish shop in Islington. The migration of objects is really interesting to me. All my chairs have their own stories.
CG: I loved the Flamboyance of Flamingos playground you created.
YI: That was a special one. We were commissioned by Create London for the estate’s centenary. We worked with the community to understand their stories; some of the residents have lived there from the very beginning so imagine all those memories, experiences, thoughts and ideas they’ve had. I went back a couple of weeks ago and saw loads of families playing there. It looked lived in and I loved it, it all adds to the narrative.
CG: You seem to be a master collaborator, whether that’s with monumental brands like Lego or small-scale communities…
YI: Yeah, it’s so important. Architects, designers, photographers, stylists, we all kind of cross-pollinate. I learn so much from each collaboration and each person I work with. There are so many links I’d love to explore. I think collaborations are super key.
CG: You’re often described as the Architect or King of Joy – I take it you’re an optimist?
YI: I am, yeah. Everything I create and everything I do – Dream, Love Always Wins, Better Days Are Coming I Promise - is optimistic. And they’re all based on affirmations, I’m a huge believer in them. Every year at the start of January I write down what I want to achieve, I just put it out there. And, not to sound preachy, but it’s kind of worked, you know? Everything that I’ve achieved is because I’ve just said it, I’ve affirmed it, that’s kind of my motto.
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CG: With every year that passes your projects seem to get more expansive – do you ever suffer from imposter syndrome?
YI: Oh my gosh, all the time. I’ll sometimes think that the projects I’m working on are happening too early on in my career, but if it’s meant to be it’s meant to be. So, I just try and keep a good team around me, a team of peers that I can bounce ideas off. Imposter syndrome is a reminder that the project is important to you.
CG: Nigerian parables inform your work; do you have a favourite one?
YI: Parables are something that Nigerians always say to their kids. If you watch any Nigerian movie, whether it’s Nollywood or whatever, there’s always going to be a parable in there. They’re humorous, but when you say them over and over again you realise that they have a powerful meaning. My favourite one is, “No matter how long the neck of a giraffe is, it still cannot see the future,” which is about not judging people and being kind.
CG: On that topic, do you think art needs to have meanings and messages or can you have art simply for art's sake?
YI: For me, my art has to say something. I grew up in a community that both lived off and was starved of hope. And with what’s happening in the world today, people need hope. My work has to say something, that’s my purpose, for sure.
CG: I read that Tracey Emin gave you some advice whilst you were working for Marks & Spencer, what was it?
YI: She said, “Take your time, don’t rush having your first show, build your body of work first.” And she was right, it really does take time. I’ve been doing this for 15 years and I feel like I’ve finally found my artistic language. And her advice still applies to me now. There are so many things I want to try, like work with a ballet school, and I want to do it before I have my next show.
CG: Your biggest learning?
YI: Always control the narrative and be confident in your story, don’t let anyone make you second-guess what you believe in.
CG: You’re a storyteller, but would it also be fair to say that you’re a disruptor? In London alone, your work has transformed grey zebra crossings and underpasses into riots of colours.
YI: I like to disrupt the status quo and deconstruct spaces that people might feel are reserved for a particular demographic or culture. A prime example would be The Colour Palace, commissioned by the Dulwich Picture Gallery. The project was inspired by Balogun Market in Lagos, Nigeria. In the process of realising it, we received an email from a local MP saying, “I think this pavilion would be better off in a shanty town in Lagos” – they felt it wasn’t good enough for a picture gallery, that it should basically be put in shit [he laughs]. It made them feel uncomfortable and that’s why I love what I do because it starts conversations. Jennifer Scott, the Director of the gallery, is amazing, and I think it’s so important that institutions and curators invite people like me – storytellers – to disrupt these spaces.
CG: I thought that was a really interesting commission because the Dulwich Picture Gallery is packed with Old Masters and classically traditional paintings.
YI: Totally. You’re right, it’s Old Masters, and I can’t connect with that kind of work. I seem very far apart from them. But I did see the other day that they have a piece on loan by [Yinka] Shonibare. I love that they’re bringing in new narratives because it changes the conversation around what you should see in a gallery or museum, you know?
CG: Your portfolio includes furniture, public art, homeware, film… What’s next on the horizon?
YI: I’m launching a collection of textiles soon and then I’m designing a café for a pretty big Gallery for Frieze London. In September, I’m working on my first streetwear collection. I have a lot of irons in the fire.
Find out more about Yinka Ilori’s ongoing projects and upcoming exhibitions here.
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