YUSUFF AINA

Yusuff Aina (b. 1997 in Nigeria) is a multidisciplinary artist who primarily works with acrylic and installation. From a young age, he has nurtured a passion for art and embraced creativity as an anchor point for navigating life. Aina's artistic practice delves into psychosocial realities, exploring themes such as alienation, trust, belonging, and their impact on the environment and the mind. Through his work, the artist constructs alternative spaces and identities, expanding the boundaries of a constantly evolving visual language.

Aina employs cartoon-like figures, motifs, and landscapes infused with fantastical elements as vehicles for storytelling. These patterns are known as 'ainasm,' ethereal cords that meander around 'eniyan,' a recurring fictional character symbolising the oneness of humanity and embodying the mantra of resilience. The term 'ainasm' derives from the artist's last name, Àina, which refers to a child born with the umbilical cord wrapped around their neck in Yorùbá tradition. 'Ènìyàn' translates to 'human being.'

For Aina, embracing the mythical and speculative realms represents a poetic quest to express personal and shared experiences while reexamining perspectives on desire, hope, and imagination. Within these alternate worlds born from his inquiry, there exists a profound sense of limitlessness and depth that Ènìyàn truly inhabits, facing myriad dilemmas that parallel those defining our present reality. Aina studied Fine Arts Education at the Federal College of Education, Akoka, graduating in 2018. In 2019, he participated in a group exhibition at the Nigerian Presidential Villa which was organised by Bayo Omoboriowo and curated by Retro Africa. In 2021, he was commissioned by Access Bank to create an interactive Ènìyàn booth at West Africa’s premier art fair ART X Lagos. He has also showcased his works at his solo exhibition in Lagos at Art Twenty One presented by Retro Africa and group exhibitions at the African Artists’ Foundation, Lagos; Vins Gallery, Taipei; Eligere Gallery, Seoul; Dida Gallery, Abidjan; Unit Gallery, London; Thinkspace Project, Los Angeles; Retro Africa, Abuja

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