Oríkì: Material Affirmations in Three Acts

Oríkì: Material Affirmations in Three Acts , a new monograph and the first comprehensive volume dedicated to the work of Nigerian artist-designer Nifemi Marcus-Bello  published by Apartamento,  is now available for purchase through Tiwani Contemporary London and Lagos. 

 

Developed in parallel with Marcus-Bello’s current solo exhibition Material Affirmations – ORÍKÌ Acts I–III, which opened last November at Tiwani Contemporary, Lagos  in collaboration with Marta, Los Angeles, the publication, spanning his three-part sculptural Oríkì series, including Act I: Friction Ridge, Act II: Tales by Moonlight, and Act III: Whispers of a Trail, exploring bronze, aluminium, and copper, respectively, offers an in-depth exploration of the artist’s research-driven practice, which seeks to honour, reinterpret, and materialise Yoruba systems of value and praise.

The book includes a foreword by Eames Demetrios, and essays by Irene Sunwoo, Glenn Adamson, and Rita Ouédraogo, as wellas an exclusive interview with Camille Okhio. Named Oríkì after the Yoruba practice of praise poetry, the volume includes Nifemi’s own personal oríkì, composed by his mother, Folake Marcus-Bello, as well as a personal essay tracing his artistic development from childhood through the present.  

 

Oríkì: Material Affirmations in Three Acts includes both ful-colour portraits of the series, alongside a photo diary of process images and personal archive, uncovering the inspiration and personal journey behind Nifemi’s award-winning creations, embodying his ongoing dialogue between materiality and identity.  

 

Nifemi Marcus-Bello is a Lagos-based industrial designer and artist who runs a practice rooted in humility, cultural context, and process-led innovation. His work bridges commercial and artistic design, drawing from African traditions to create objects that are intuitive, functional, and deeply connected to place. He embraces design as a dialogue; responsive, evolving, and grounded in real-world interactions. His work is held in major institutions including MoMA, The Brooklyn Museum, LACMA, and The Design Museum, London. In 2025, he received a Special Mention Award at the Loewe Craft Prize for his contribution to contemporary design and craft.