Olalekan Jeyifous (born 1977), commonly known as Lek (pronounced "Lake"), is a Nigerian-born

visual artist The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile arts al ...

based in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

. He is currently a visiting lecturer at

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

, where he also received his

Bachelor of Architecture The Bachelor of Architecture (B.Arch.) is a bachelor's degree designed to satisfy the academic requirement of practising architecture around the world. Australia Architectural education in Australia varies depending on the university offering th ...

in 2000. Trained as an architect, his career primarily focuses on public and commercial art. His work has been newly commissioned for the '' Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America'' exhibition at the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

in New York along with Amanda Williams,

Walter Hood Walter J. Hood (born 1958, Charlotte, NC) is an American professor and former chair of landscape architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, and principal of Hood Design Studio in Oakland, California. In 2019, Hood was awarded the MacA ...

, and

Mario Gooden Mario Gooden (born 1965) is an architect in the United States. He is the principal at Huff + Gooden Architects which he co-founded with Ray Huff in 1997. Gooden is also a Professor of Practice at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and ...

. The exhibition explores the relationship between architecture and the spaces of African American and African diaspora communities and ways in which histories can be made visible and equity can be built.

Art career

Jeyifous' work confronts social issues through installations, large scale murals, large-scale public artwork and 3D computer models reflecting ideas about

Afrofuturism Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic, and philosophy of science and history that explores the intersection of the African diaspora culture with science and technology. It addresses themes and concerns of the African diaspora through technocu ...

and architectural dystopias. Jeyifous has an interest in urban issues and the changing role cities play in politics, art, pop culture, and the collective imagination. For his exhibition featured in the

's show, “Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America,” Jeyifous explores dystopian realities rooted in the black diaspora and the disappearing urban ephemera and architecture of Brooklyn. In 2020, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' named Jeyifous as one of five artists to follow on Instagram among fellow artists

Kara Walker Kara Elizabeth Walker (born November 26, 1969) is an American contemporary painter, silhouettist, print-maker, installation artist, filmmaker, and professor who explores race, gender, sexuality, violence, and identity in her work. She is best ...

, Phyllis Galembo, Laylah Amatullah Barrayn, Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb.

Crown Ether

Crown Ether was a 50-foot-tall sculpture at the 2017 Coachella Valley Music and Art Festival. Jeyifous was one of five artists chosen for the exhibition. The elevated art piece was inspired by the relationship between connection and separation. The artist separated the mythical sky-bound luxury high-rise from the less upscale but heritage-rich community below, while connecting the two communities through the benefits of safety and shade.

"Protest!"

“Protest!” (2017) is a 10-foot-tall public art piece consisting of four large sculptures in

Public Square A town square (or square, plaza, public square, city square, urban square, or ''piazza'') is an open public space, commonly found in the heart of a traditional town but not necessarily a true square, geometric square, used for community gathe ...

in downtown

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

. Inspired by the history of protest, peace rallies, and civic gatherings that have taken place in Public Square, Jeyifous painted vivid orange and yellow steel silhouettes that depict protesters shouting into bullhorns, handing out leaflets, and embracing. The piece represents protest as a democratic right by welcoming visitors to sit on or gather around the built-in seating platforms at the metal base of each piece.

The Boom and the Bust

The Boom and the Bust (2019) is a 25-foot-tall sculpture that resembles an abstracted high-rise building with a cage-like structure in the center holding a collection of small red houses. The piece references the challenges of housing discrimination and urban inequality, past, and present.

Wrought, Knit, Labors, Legacies

Wrought, Knit, Labors, Legacies (2020) is an installation on Alexandria Virginia's waterfront that frames Alexandria's African-American history through the lens of the city's industrial and merchant history from the 17th to 20th centuries.

Our Destiny, Our Democracy

Our Destiny, Our Democracy (2020) will be a collaborative piece with artist Amanda Williams for the inaugural She Built NYC. The piece commemorates

Shirley Chisholm Shirley Anita Chisholm ( ; ; November 30, 1924 – January 1, 2005) was an American politician who, in 1968, became the first black woman to be elected to the United States Congress. Chisholm represented New York's 12th congressional distr ...

, the first black woman to serve in Congress. The artist designed the piece to redefine the 21st-century monument, honor Shirley Chisholm's legacy of bringing people together, and discuss the long arc of democracy. It will be constructed in Brooklyn's Prospect Park at the corner of Ocean and Parkside Avenues.

Canyon Dreamscape

Canyon Dreamscape (2021) is a large aluminum panel mural made in collaboration with the Los Angeles County Department of Arts and Culture and TFN Architectural Signage. It is located on the Olive View Restorative Care Village in the Olive View–UCLA Medical Center in

Sylmar Sylmar is a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley and is the northernmost neighborhood within the City of Los Angeles. Historically known for its profusion of sylvan olive orchards, Sylmar can trace its past to the 18th century and th ...

, Los Angeles. It is inspired by the landscape and vegetation of surrounding Wilson Canyon and is based on the connection between nature and well-being. Jeyifous used a "playful and vibrant" color palette "without being harsh and distracting" sublimated onto ALTO Aluminum panels.

Awards

* He was selected with Jennifer Bonner and

as the 2021 Architecture & Design fellows for the

United States Artists United States Artists (USA) is a national arts funding organization based in Chicago. USA is dedicated to supporting living artists and cultural practitioners across the United States by granting unrestricted awards. Mission The organization' ...

. * Jeyifous was awarded the 2020-2021 J. Irwin and Xenia S. Miller Prize by Exhibit Columbus for his contribution to the disciplines of design, art and architecture.

References

External links

Vigilism
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jeyifous, Olalekan 1977 births Living people Nigerian artists Cornell University alumni Nigerian architects Place of birth missing (living people) Nigerian emigrants to the United States Nigerian-American artists