Ayo Akingbade was born in London, England to Nigerian parents in 1994, studying at the London College of Communication and Royal Academy Schools. Profoundly influenced by her Hackney upbringing and blending fact with fiction, she creates films and installations that explore themes of urbanism, power, and identity. Notable for <em>Dear Babylon</em> and <em>Show Me The World Mister</em>, Akingbade's films provide intimate, thought-provoking insights into underrepresented communities and histories, social housing, gentrification, and cultural legacies.
Artist Ayo Akingbade was born in London, England to Nigerian parents in 1994 and grew up in the East London borough of Hackney. She pursued graduate studies in film at the London College of Communication, followed by the Royal Academy Schools from 2018–21. Akingbade had no big ambitions to become a famous director and ‘just wanted to write and direct stories which were true and authentic – a reflection of me’ (Aesthetica interview). As a young black woman in the film industry, she faced stereotypical attitudes related to her background and identity. She was often misunderstood due to her different ‘mannerisms’ and perspectives, shaped by her upbringing in Hackney (Guardian 2021).
Akingbade, who defines herself as ‘an artist who makes films’ (Screen International 2022), predominantly works with film and installation, focusing on themes of power, history, legacy, urban space, and individual stance. Her work navigates the interplay between personal identity and external influences, resulting in intimate and playful representations of local and cultural experiences. She often focuses on communities within London's council housing schemes. Her personal experiences growing up in Hackney heavily influence her work, providing an insider's perspective on urban life and community dynamics, often absent in mainstream narratives. Akingbade's films are known for their exploration of the rapid social transformations in London caused by gentrification. Her style fluidly blends experimental essay films, documentary techniques, and traditional narrative shorts, all underscored by a commitment to analogue methods. Notably, she frequently features non-professional actors and friends, adding authenticity. Akingbade's work is characterised by an intuitive and non-traditional narrative style, moving away from conventional documentary formats. Her films, influenced by the French New Wave, are experiential, using a mix of elements to evoke emotions and moments. In her approach to storytelling, she conducts extensive research and aims to blend fact and fiction with a touch of humour. She finds the writings of Rebecca Omonira-Oyekanmi, Lynsey Hanley, and Anna Minton particularly informative (Aesthetica interview).
Her first film, In Ur Eye (2015) addressed gentrification in Dalston, East London. Following this, she created the trilogy No News Today, which focused on social housing narratives. The trilogy included Tower XYZ (2016), which received a Special Mention Award at the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen and won the inaugural Sonja Savić Award at the Alternative Film/Video Festival in Belgrade, while Dear Babylon (2019, Arts Council Collection), set in London's East End, focussed on the fictional AC30 Housing Bill that threatened social housing, centering on three art students who aimed to raise awareness about their community, particularly the lives of estate residents and workers. Akingbade’s films such as Street 66 (2018) and So They Say (2019) paid homage to black and Asian community activists like Dora Boatemah and the Newham Monitoring Project through archival imagery, addressing their often overlooked historical significance. Akingbade commented on the elitism in handling archival materials, raising the question of narrative control in historical storytelling (cited in Demetriou 2024). Claudette's Star (2019, RA collection), named in honour of artist Claudette Johnson, a prominent figure in the BLK Art Group during the 1980s, centered on a conversation Akingbade had with a friend about Johnson's painting Trilogy (1982-1986), which was one of Akingbade's favourite artworks. It included discussions among RA Schools students about their literary inspirations and how these influenced their responses to different artworks. The film addressed who is given a voice in the art world, tackling issues of representation and the importance of diverse perspectives in art and cultural institutions. Christina Demetriou, founder of Oyster Films, characterised it as ‘a multifaceted and poetic consideration of the act of looking: away from the white gaze and the white imaginary, and looking forward with an unfazed energy' (quoted in RA website).
Akingbade's widely praised 2023 UK touring exhibition, Show Me The World Mister premiered at London's Chisenhale Gallery and featured two new commissioned films, The Fist and Faluyi, examining themes of labour, colonialism, loss and coming of age, subsequently acquired by the Whitworth, Manchester. The Fist intimately portrayed Nigeria's first Guinness brewery, capturing the consequences of industrialisation and exploring the lasting impact of this colonial relic. Faluyi followed the journey of a young girl, Ife, through the Idanre Hills in Ondo State, exploring familial legacy and mysticism, set against a backdrop of personal and cultural introspection. The exhibition also included an immersive installation with reduced daylight and a central structure of aluminum, steel, and polycarbonate, reflecting the original architecture of the gallery, a former veneer factory and brewery. This design, enhanced with a film mimicking West Africa's harmattan dust enriched the viewer's experience. Akingbade has also exhibited at the South London Gallery and ICA (2019); Towner Eastbourne (2020 and 2022) and Whitechapel Gallery, London (2021) among other venues. In the UK public domain her work is represented in the Arts Council Collection; Royal Academy of Arts and Whitworth, The University of Manchester.
Consult items in the Ben Uri archive related to [Ayo Akingbade ]
Publications related to [Ayo Akingbade ] in the Ben Uri Library