Artist Name: Ajet
Primary Discipline: Visual Art

* Artist Statement
Culture is a globally situated, living, evolving entity, continually produced through social practice (as articulated by anthropologist Clifford Geertz). For instance, my personal culture is shaped by my experiences as a Yoruba woman and an African in diaspora, as well as by my media consumption, and my travels. My cultural identity is a significant influence in the creation of my creative output, influencing my choice of subject matter, style, techniques and materials employed. My cultural identity also influences the reception of my work, prompting interpretations and conversations. My practice makes meaning of cultural practices and traditions, in the context of the past, the present and the possible futures. I challenge oppressions normalized as culture, and invite my audience to speculate on alternate realities, strengthening the collective shaping of culture, collective memories, and identities.

* Artist Biography
Olusayo Ajetunmobi aka Ajet is a Nigerian contemporary folk visual artist. Her multidisciplinary practice aims at cultural continuation through the contemporary explorations of traditional practices. Her art has been exhibited in Gibraltar, New Jersey, Vienna, and Lagos. Every year since 2020, Ajet collaborates with at least one NGO to create illustrations and graphic designs for social impact and change, with a focus on women’s issues. Notably creating a research-based infographic and a reimagined folktale for an art-book titled SEEN. The art-book was published in 2024 by the Atlantic Fellows for Social and Economic Equity, and launched at the Feminist Library, Peckham. This project inspired her last body of work, titled "Girls just having fun"; a series of mixed media paintings, exploring the ways that beauty standards and invisible labour keep women from enjoying themselves. The production of these paintings was enhanced by a 2024 spring residency at Villa Karo in Grand Popo.