Arts Thread

Oyinloluwa S Ilesanmi (b. 1999, Nigeria) is a British textile artist based in London.Working primarily in collage tapestry, Ilesanmi’s practice is grounded in the material and symbolic possibilities of textile. She reconfigures Ankara fabric, renowned for its bold, rhythmic patterns and vivid colours, into richly layered compositions that explore ecology, mythology, and the psychological imprint of nature. Her works draw on non-Western cosmologies and personal memory to conjure speculative landscapes: imagined environments that resist extractive histories and reimagine the relationship between land, spirit, and self.Influenced by her background in fashion design, Ilesanmi approaches textile with a refined sensitivity to structure, surface, and storytelling. Her tapestries often function as visual portals; spaces of healing, refuge, and resistance, where cultural symbolism and environmental consciousness are intricately interwoven.Through her use of pattern and layering, she evokes mythic narratives that speak to ancestral continuity and ecological transformation.Her recent works have evolved into immersive installations that envelop the viewer in multisensory environments. These expanded spatial compositions deepen the ritual and meditative qualities of her tapestries, inviting reflection on the entangled futures of nature, spirit, and survival.