A new generation of young Black artists are redefining art by infusing their heritage, lived experiences, and cultural traditions into their work, sparking conversations about race, belonging, and artistic representation in the UK.
You can learn a lot about someone through their art – what they love, where they come from, what makes them tick. For black artists this often involves celebrating their roots and honouring the diversity they come from.
Their heritage isn’t something they consciously decide to include — it’s just there, already woven into the way they see the world and express themselves. Ore Adedeji, 25, a portrait artist based in London started her art journey in school focusing on portraits of her Nigerian family and friends.
“I went to a predominantly white school. In order to almost celebrate yourself, you have to celebrate your differences [and] how you’re different in an environment,” she says. “So I didn’t start painting my family from a place of political choice. I painted them because they were there, but because they are so different from the environment, it then became political.”
Ore has continued this sentiment throughout her work now, taking influences from the colours used in Ankara fabric, which is worn in West Africa and depicting many women wearing Gele’s which is traditional Nigerian wedding attire.
“It becomes a statement because they’re not used to seeing that, or they haven’t seen it before,” she says. “It’s really rewarding, because your heritage and your culture is a part of your identity. So when you create from that point, you’re praising your identity.”
Visual artist Amatuallah Alhassan, 28, moved to the UK a year ago from Nigeria but her art is still extremely rooted in her cultural identity.
“Moving here, I am experiencing a different culture. But it doesn’t really stop me from showing who I am, because I’m actually telling my story. So I am always going to represent myself fully as a Nigerian and African woman,” she says.
Her work is primarily contemporary African, with her also drawing inspiration from the geometric lines used in Aso Oke cloth of the Yoruba tribe.
“It’s so beautiful, and I’ve not seen that in any artwork. It’s really creative how the women weave this outfit in straight lines.”
Another key reason that these artists include their culture in their work, is to challenge the lack of representation of Black people in the UK.
Ore says: “In a lot of my artwork the portraits are displaying emotions that aren’t often depicted by black people within the fine art world. That’s a deliberate choice to increase representation, not just from a stereotypical aesthetic viewpoint.
“For example, people looking happy or appeasing or welcoming, to just document the black experience for what it is.”
Amatallah believes that she has a responsibility to present black women alongside her culture and bold colours.
“A black woman is someone that should take space wherever she is. So me showing my culture and including those bold colors, is trying to say, ‘I’m here to stay’.”
For black artists, celebrating culture isn’t just a trend. Their art reflects real lived experiences and that hits differently — it’s honest, bold, and full of heart.