Yinka Ilori to Visit Ohio State

As part of the Office of Academic Affairs’s Visiting Artist Program, Yinka Ilori will be on Ohio State's Columbus campus campus this month. On November 6, 5:00-6:30 pm, he will be in conversation with Department of Design chair Fabienne Münch in the Wexner Center’s film/video theater. The event, which is free and open to the public, will center on Ilori’s design philosophy and artistic journey.

In addition to that public conversation, Ilori will lead “A Handbook of the Chair Workshop” with the Department of Design’s foundations students on November 6 and 7. In this hands-on workshop, students will reclaim old chairs, transforming them with vibrant paint and creative design. The students' work will be displayed in an exhibition in the Hayes Hall lobby beginning November 8.

Yinka Ilori is a multi-disciplinary artist and designer whose distinctive visual language draws from his British-Nigerian heritage. His work weaves together Nigerian parables and verbal traditions, creating narratives that resonate with a global audience. Ilori believes that art and design should be accessible to all, and his projects—often humorous, provocative, and playful—show how design can unite communities and have a positive societal impact. Frequently reimagining urban spaces, Ilori invites participation and engagement, bringing a sense of joy and optimism to his work. A graduate of London Metropolitan University with a BA in Furniture and Product Design, his work has been exhibited worldwide through solo and group exhibitions, public commissions, and set designs.