Adejoke Tugbiyele Explained

Adejoke Aderonke Tugbiyele
Birth Date:	4 December 1977
Birth Place:	Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma Mater:	New Jersey Institute of Technology, Maryland Institute College of Art

Adejoke Aderonke Tugbiyele (born December 4, 1977) is a Nigerian-American multidisciplinary visual artist and activist.^{[1] [2]} She is known primarily as a sculptor, performer, and filmmaker, but has also worked in painting, drawing, and textiles.^{[3] [4]} Her work deals with issues of human rights, queer rights and women's rights.^[5] She lives in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.^[6]

Biography

Adejoke Aderonke Tugbiyele was born December 4, 1977, in Brooklyn, New York City, New York.^{[7] [8]} In early childhood, she moved with her family to Lagos, Nigeria. In high school, she returned to New York City to attend the High School of Art and Design. She identifies as queer.^[9]

Tugbiyele has a B.S. degree (2002) in architecture from New Jersey Institute of Technology; and a M.F.A. degree (2013) from the Rinehart School of Sculpture at Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA).

Tugbiyele's work has been influenced by artists including El Anatsui, Fela Kuti, Ai Weiwei, Kara Walker, Zanele Muholi, and Rotimi Fani-Kayode.

Tugbiyele has been affiliated with the Nigerian NGO, Initiative for Equal Rights which provides emergency assistance to LGBT Nigerians. She has served as a United States-based representative for Solidarity Alliance for Human Rights, a coalition of Nigerian organizations working for human rights, queer rights and activism, and to fight against HIV/AIDS.

Her work is in various public museum collections, including the Brooklyn Museum,^[10] and Museum of Modern Art, Warsaw.^[11]

Further reading

• Book: Bass, K.. Silenced Voices, Threatened Lives: The Impact of Nigeria's Anti-LGBTI Law on Freedom of Expression. Pen American Center. 2015.
• Web site: Tugbiyele. Adejoke. February 13, 2014. Personal is Political: Sexual Identity and "Nigerian Culture". The Feminist Wire.
• van Rensburg. Storm Janse. June 2014. Back to Nigeria - Adejoke Tugbiyele. Metropolis M, No 3. Dutch.

Notes and References

1. News: Larson. Vanessa H.. July 18, 2019. The National Museum of African Art has doubled its holdings of art by women. This show puts their work in the spotlight. The Washington Post.
2. Web site: Perrée. Rob. 2018-03-03. Adejoke Tugbiyele: I live by example. 2021-11-30. AFRICANAH.ORG. Arena for Contemporary African, African-American and Caribbean Art. en-US.
3. Web site: Thomas. Alexandra M.. 2020-10-29. Embodying a Queer, Pan-Africanist Approach to Spirituality. 2021-11-30. Hyperallergic. en-US.
4. Web site: Goniwe. Thembinkosi. Hybrid Spirit: Thembinkosi Goniwe reflects on the work of Adejoke Tugbiyele. dead. 2021-11-30. Art Africa Magazine. en-GB. 2021-11-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20211130024346/https://artafricamagazine.org/hybrid-spirit-thembinkosi-goniwe-reflects-work-adejoke-tugbiyele/.
5. Web site: Kuijers. Isabella. October 7, 2015. Manuscript Truths: Adejoke Tugbiyele's 'Testimony'. 2021-11-30. ArtThrob. en-US.
6. Web site: Preece. Robert. 2020-09-23. Beyond Physicality: A Conversation with Adejoke Tugbiyele. 2021-11-30. Sculpture. en-US.
7. Web site: Artists: Adejoke Tugbiyele. dead. 2021-11-30. National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution. en. 2021-11-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20211130022459/https://africa.si.edu/collections/people/2986/adejoke-tugbiyele;jsessionid=CDAA5F1D983143B6C3486BBA48D20B4C.
8. Web site: 2020-11-02. This Week in African Arts and Culture (October 25 – 31, 2020). 2021-11-30. Sugarcane Magazine, Black Art Magazine. en-US.
9. Web site: Sefa-Boakye. Jennifer. 2015-06-09. Nigerian-American LGBT Activist & Artist Adejoke Tugbiyele's 'Queer African Spirit'. 2021-11-30. OkayAfrica. en.
10. Web site: Homeless Hungry Homo. 2021-11-30. Brooklyn Museum.
11. Web site: Adejoke Tugbiyele, Afrykańska odyseja IV: 100 lat później. 2021-11-30. Muzeum Sztuki Nowoczesnej w Warszawie. pl.