Designer Nifemi Marcus-Bello on craft and creativity
This site contains affiliate links. I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you.
Nifemi Marcus-Bello is a breath of recent air on the modern design scene. Working his studio out of Lagos, the town during which he was born and raised, he challenges Western-centric narratives and champions a regionally rooted, community-driven strategy. Navigating the intersection of perform, materials politics, and social infrastructure, he engages with ignored manufacturing networks and on a regular basis making cultures in Nigeria. Since founding his eponymous studio in 2017, Marcus-Bello has gained worldwide recognition for his research-led, human-centred designs, from public seating methods to limited-edition items that interrogate materials histories.
His newest exhibition, ‘Oríkì (Act III): Whispers of a Path’, marks his third presentation at Los Angeles gallery Marta and continues his exploration of storytelling by means of purposeful sculpture. The collection delves into the politics of copper extraction, refinement, and procurement, questioning the financial and social frameworks surrounding its manufacturing.
(Picture credit score: Erik Benjamins)
As together with his earlier Oríkì works, Marcus-Bello balances materials experimentation with a deep engagement in historic and modern narratives, connecting Lagos’s vibrant making tradition to broader international conversations.
On this uplifting interview, he discusses the evolution of the Oríkì collection, the distinct design language of Lagos, and the shifting panorama for younger African designers on the worldwide stage.
The collection delves into the politics of copper extraction, refinement, and procurement, questioning the financial and social frameworks surrounding its manufacturing
(Picture credit score: Erik Benjamins)
Wallpaper*: Congratulations in your third present at Marta! Are you able to inform us concerning the items introduced at ‘Oríkì (Act III): Whispers of a Path’, and the way the stress between native shortage and international demand manifest of their design language?
Nifemi Marcus-Bello: From a procurement perspective, copper has been essentially the most difficult materials to supply as a consequence of its excessive price and international demand. In lots of instances, uncooked copper extracted from the continent is refined overseas solely to be bought again to us on the continent as merchandise. This cycle is frequent with sources like crude oil, cobalt, cocoa and lots of extra. Given these challenges, I finally turned to recycled copper, recovered from outdated merchandise and decommissioned buildings. This strategy not solely made sourcing possible but additionally highlighted the fabric’s journey and lifecycle.
Sourcing uncooked copper proved to be notably troublesome. After quite a few setbacks and roadblocks, I made a decision to work with scrap copper, which I procured in numerous markets throughout Lagos. As a result of scale of this venture and editions of items produced, I’ve used over a ton of recycled copper, which in itself serves as a manifesto for sustainable materials use.
As a result of scale of this venture and editions of items produced, I’ve used over a ton of recycled copper, which in itself serves as a manifesto for sustainable materials use.
Nifemi Marcus-Bello
Having by no means labored with copper earlier than, I used to be unfamiliar with its temperament and encountered challenges with welding, finishes, and scaling. Consequently, the ultimate objects are crafted from a copper alloy – a mix of copper and bronze – which permits for simpler welding whereas sustaining copper’s prominence within the materiality.
The design of those items was impressed by objects that mirror Africa’s nomadic cultures. The type of the daybed, for instance, attracts from the Agadez mattress utilized by the individuals of Niger, whereas different parts reference the multifunctional headrests utilized by farmers for relaxation within the discipline whereas protecting their head above floor. This nomadic essence additionally resonates with the journey of the copper itself – from extraction to procurement, and finally, to transformation.
Regardless of being mined in Cental Africa, Copper has grow to be a uncommon commodity on the continent as a result of convoluted manufacturing cycle that it’s fed into, whereby, after its extraction, the steel is exported for processing after which imported again on the market at a premium
(Picture credit score: Erik Benjamins)
W*: This exhibition marks your third presentation of purposeful sculptures at Marta. What has the expertise been like for you, and do you see the Oríkì collection persevering with past this chapter?
NMB: Truthfully, it began with loads of questions – questions on why sure supplies are so outstanding in my area, how they’ve advanced over time, and what they actually imply to us past their sensible use. I needed to dig deeper into their significance, not simply from a design perspective however when it comes to tradition, financial system, and id. That curiosity pushed me to start out this collection as a option to discover and doc these concepts.
I’m pushed by questions – these issues that preserve you up at evening, the concepts you’ll be able to’t shake. And the extra I create, the extra questions I’ve.
Nifemi Marcus-Bello
The items I create are like a visible and purposeful archive of that investigation. They’re not simply objects – they’re a document of the teachings I’ve discovered, the challenges I’ve confronted, and the feelings I’ve skilled whereas working with these supplies. It’s been such a whirlwind, making an attempt to grasp how they behave, how they reply to totally different processes, and, most significantly, how they form and mirror the societies that use them.
Like many designers, I’m pushed by questions – these issues that preserve you up at evening, the concepts you’ll be able to’t shake. And the extra I create, the extra questions I’ve. I don’t suppose I’ll ever run out of them! That’s what retains the work thrilling since you by no means know which unanswered query is simply across the nook, ready to push you in a brand new route.
Copper is just bought for bulk scrap, by the kilogram at Lagos’ second-hand steel market – a spot that speaks to the stress between international demand for sources and the regional realities of shortage and labour
(Picture credit score: Erik Benjamins)
W*: Your designs typically carry narratives past their perform, whether or not it’s materials politics, community-driven processes, or private reminiscence. Have you ever at all times seen design as a instrument for storytelling, or was there a second whenever you realised it might be a automobile for deeper messages?
NMB: It’s humorous you ask that as a result of, as I attain this third chapter, I discover myself reflecting on the identical query. I consider context is every part – it ought to by no means be left behind within the communication of a design. Objects are greater than their perform; they carry histories, relationships, and meanings that form how we work together with them.
Trying again, storytelling by means of design feels inevitable for me. I began as a maker, then studied artwork historical past with the intention of turning into a full-time artist earlier than shifting to product design at a technical college. That intersection of craft, historical past, and performance has at all times been central to my strategy.
I’ve at all times seen design as a instrument for storytelling, even earlier than I had the language to articulate it. It’s not nearly creating objects; it’s about honouring the narratives they carry and the connections they foster.
Nifemi Marcus-Bello
Past formal schooling, my upbringing performed an enormous function in shaping my perspective. In my residence, each object held significance. A mat, a plate, a stool – every had a narrative, a homeland, and a objective that prolonged past utility. Conversations about the place issues got here from and the care they deserved have been a part of each day life. That consciousness turned second nature, and now, it’s embedded in how I design.
So sure, I’ve at all times seen design as a instrument for storytelling, even earlier than I had the language to articulate it. It’s not nearly creating objects; it’s about honouring the narratives they carry and the connections they foster.
The artist liaised with a community of each crafts and tradespeople in Lagos to acquire over a ton of recycled copper to create a group of tables, seating and lighting
(Picture credit score: Erik Benjamins)
W*: You’ve stated up to now that Lagos has its personal design language (and a powerful tradition of creating), even when it isn’t at all times recognised in a Western sense. How would you describe that language, and what do you suppose Western design audiences misunderstand about design in Nigeria?
NMB: Lagos has a design language that’s uncooked, adaptive, and deeply intuitive. It’s not at all times sure by formal buildings or Western educational frameworks, however it’s undeniably wealthy, resourceful, and modern. Town itself is an ecosystem of creating – design right here isn’t nearly aesthetics; it’s about necessity, resilience, and responding to ever-changing situations.
One of many largest misconceptions Western design audiences have is the concept that design have to be polished, institutionalised, or validated by sure requirements to be thought of reputable. In Lagos, design is fluid and dynamic. It exists in the way in which artisans repurposed supplies, how merchants adapt to produce chain disruptions, or how whole casual economies perform with exceptional effectivity.
There’s loads of dialogue globally about sustainable design, round economies, and native manufacturing, however Lagos has been working towards these concepts lengthy earlier than they turned trade buzzwords.
Nifemi Marcus-Bello
I believe there’s a lesson in rethinking the hierarchy of design. Innovation doesn’t solely occur in studios, galleries, or establishments – it occurs within the markets, within the workshops, on the streets.
Nifemi Marcus-Bello
W*: What can they be taught from this?
NMB: The significance of adaptability, of working with constraints quite than towards them. There’s loads of dialogue globally about sustainable design, round economies, and native manufacturing, however Lagos has been working towards these concepts lengthy earlier than they turned trade buzzwords. Town teaches you to be resourceful, to suppose in your toes, and to see magnificence in perform.
Greater than something, I believe there’s a lesson in rethinking the hierarchy of design. Innovation doesn’t solely occur in studios, galleries, or establishments – it occurs within the markets, within the workshops, on the streets. Lagos is a metropolis of makers, and its design language is alive within the fingers of the individuals who form it each day.
One of many largest misconceptions Western design audiences have is the concept that design have to be polished, institutionalised, or validated by sure requirements to be thought of reputable.
Nifemi Marcus-Bello
W*: Your strategy to design typically entails deep engagement with native communities and manufacturing networks. What have been a number of the most revealing or shocking insights from working with artisans and merchants in Lagos, notably in sourcing and repurposing supplies?
NMB: I suppose I do not see myself as an outsider – I interact with Lagos each day, experiencing each its challenges and its magnificence. I used to be born and raised right here, spending most of my life in middle-class neighbourhoods – Mende, Ikeja, Ilupeju, Gbagada and later in Ikoyi. Engaged on the ACTs strengthened my understanding that I’m not simply observing this ecosystem; I’m a part of it.
Town is an extension of who I’m – it shapes me as a lot as I contribute to it. I really like Lagos, and in its personal approach, it loves me again. On daily basis, I proceed to be taught from that relationship.
Nifemi Marcus-Bello
My connection to Lagos’ maker tradition started early, at 13 or 14, lengthy earlier than I had the privilege of learning overseas. To exclude myself from this technique could be each naive and dismissive. Town is an extension of who I’m – it shapes me as a lot as I contribute to it. I really like Lagos, and in its personal approach, it loves me again. On daily basis, I proceed to be taught from that relationship.
Items embrace the curved, sandcast ‘Headrest’, off-centre Low Desk and the slender Charcoal Lamp comprised of copper and reclaimed American pine, which is blackened to symbolise ebony, a cloth that, like copper, has grow to be a uncommon and extremely regulated commodity on the continent
(Picture credit score: Erik Benjamins)
W*: You’ve spoken up to now about not seeing Black designers represented whenever you have been youthful and questioning the way you’d match into the sector. Now, along with your worldwide recognition, do you suppose the panorama is shifting for younger Black African designers? Have you ever observed adjustments in how they see their very own prospects in design?
NMB: I’ll at all times be a pupil of design – it’s how I like to observe. That mindset has formed my journey, pushing me to continuously search data, each from throughout the continent and past. Through the years, I’ve realised that if I needed to grasp design in a significant approach, I needed to take duty for educating myself, actively trying to find info, and immersing myself within the histories and practices that weren’t at all times available. That drive is what fueled my obsession with archives – not simply accessing them, however creating them as a option to doc and protect data for future generations.
Now, greater than ever, I see a shift occurring. The African design panorama – notably in furnishings and object-making – is rising, turning into extra seen and interconnected.
Nifemi Marcus-Bello
Now, greater than ever, I see a shift occurring. The African design panorama – notably in furnishings and object-making — is rising, turning into extra seen and interconnected. Younger designers are embracing their very own narratives, drawing from native supplies, traditions, and methods whereas pushing boundaries with modern approaches. There’s a stronger sense of possession and satisfaction in our design id, and with the rise of digital platforms and international conversations, the work coming from the continent is reaching wider audiences.
I see a brand new era getting into the sector with confidence, figuring out they belong. The ecosystem is increasing, not simply when it comes to recognition however in how we join, collaborate, and maintain our practices. It’s an thrilling time, and I’m grateful to be a part of this second of development and transformation.
W*: What else does 2025 maintain for you?
NMB: Refinement.
‘Oríkì (Act III): Whispers of a Path’ runs till 5 April at Marta, 3021 Rowena Ave, Los Angeles.
