Surging The Excellence Of Black Art With Artist Temi Adefolu

For International artists day Reform The Funk surfed the globe for artists and individuals actively inspiring and pushing important conversations within culture. We didn’t limit our reach and welcomed musicians, photographers, painters, poets (you name it), to submit their best or more recent works. If they were able to cross our radar then they definitely embodied the ‘Funk’ in Reform The Funk. After being flooded with amazing entries and after a careful selection process we arrived at a happy decision where we could celebrate some supreme talent.

Meet Temi Adefolu, Nigerian through and through, with her ‘competitive field’ never obscuring her focus to be an artist full stop. Temi’s commissioned works speak of beauty, courage and womanism, themes which allow her to capture the lack of representation of black women, especially within commercialised art and print. Her muse come from her primary resource, the internet, where she’s been able to draw celebrities, artists, musicians and whoever inspires her in a different light. But this magic is done always in the moment, as she doesn’t like to force things creatively.

Temi’s advantage is that she is a graphic designer and illustrator which makes her portfolio more palatable to the digital sphere of online content creation. This is the special accent that helps showcase the detailed make-up in her elegant portraits marrying rich gradients with textures and colours. Yet don’t expect to see the same thing, as Temi has more tricks up her sleeve by diversifying her work with more analogue drawing techniques, making her a multi-hyphenated one to watch. Read our full interview with the artist whose goal is to work with Rihanna’s FENTY one day (fingers crossed).

Please tell us a bit about your background?

Well, I was born and raised in Nigeria moved to the UK at the age of 12 and lived here ever since.

How did you get your first start as a graphic designer/illustrator?

I've always been creative all my life, but I think I started to take art more seriously when I was 16 in college and learned different ways of creating and using software I never knew before really interested me.

Do you like to be referred to as a 'black artist' and what does this term mean to you?

I don't really mind being called a black artist but I’d prefer just to be called by my name and let my art speak for itself.

Tell us, do you have a drawing routine, and what does this process look like?

I don't really have a drawing routine I just draw when I'm in a good spirit, and when I'm not, I just don't do it. My process is just to get a reference from the internet or when I'm doing commissions, sketch them out on procreate, and I go from there.

““I don’t really mind being called a black artist but I’d prefer just to be called by my name and let my art speak for itself.””

There's a theme of Afro-futurism in your work, with the use of colours, cosmic backgrounds as well as references to the African diaspora. Is this a theme you would like to expand on for future projects?

Well… I've been told to do more varieties of women of colour, but I'm not sure if I should do it but still thinking about it. As of now, my primary focus will be of black women and to also experiment with old-style drawings rather than just doing things digitally.

What made you decide to solely focus on drawing black women?

As a black woman, I do this to uplift black women due to lack of representation.

You've drawn a variety of women from public figures to people you know, is there anyone you'd love to draw next or a dream commission?

I've got quite a few companies I would love to work with, for example, look fantastic, Apple, Microsoft, FENTY and let's not forget small businesses as well; I'm open to any opportunities that come my way.

““When I get good feedback from my clients, it makes me happy, and because of that, it makes me grind even more.””

Would you say that there isn't enough visibility of black graphic designers/illustrators and how have you dealt with this, if any setbacks at all?

It's quite challenging because not a lot of people want to see black drawings on their timeline you know, and the lack of support is mad! I get a lot of people of colour messaging me saying 'why don't I draw more white people, you get more money rather than you just focusing on black women?' I just ignore that you know because when the time comes I will widen my horizon.

How do you feel when you've finished a design and are about to share it with the world?

Sometimes I do feel overwhelmed due to people's response because I'm not sure whether they might like it or not so it's a bit nerve-racking but once's it out there and I get positive feedback I'm over the moon.

What words of advice do you have for someone afraid to get into graphic design/illustration whether it's because they don't have the resources or are not sure where to start?

The creative industry is really competitive so, if you’re planning to take the route be prepared because you will need to have a tough skin especially if you’re ‘Black!’ because not everyone's going to like your work, I learnt the hard way lol but once you get the hang of it and experiment you'll be just fine. Also, I would say utilise the resources your school provides trust me, you're going to save a lot of money! That's what I did, and up to now I still use the resources given to me.

In the near future, where do you want the representation of 'black art' to be?

I would love to see more black art everywhere, especially black women's art more in the museums because the lack of diversity, chilleee it’s crazy.

Follow Temi Adefolu on Instagram @temi_adefolu

Interview by Funmi Olagunju

Producer: Mariam Mugambwa