Sculpture, Performance Art · Queer · Nigerian American
About
Adejoke Tugbiyele is a Nigerian American multidisciplinary visual artist, sculptor, filmmaker, performer, and activist whose work explores queer identity, spirituality, human rights, and the experiences of women across Africa and the African diaspora.
Biography
Adejoke Aderonke Tugbiyele is a Nigerian American multidisciplinary artist and advocate working across sculpture, performance, film, drawing, textiles, and installation. Born in Brooklyn and raised in part in Lagos, she attended New York’s High School of Art and Design before earning a BS in Architecture from the New Jersey Institute of Technology and an MFA in Sculpture from the Maryland Institute College of Art. Drawing on Yoruba thought and aesthetics, her work examines sexuality, gender, spirituality, identity, and the relationship between cultural traditions and contemporary life.
Tugbiyele often combines materials such as wire, fabric, wood, and palm fibers from West African brooms to create sculptures that can also become part of performances. Her 2014 sculpture AfroQueer is in the Brooklyn Museum’s collection, and her work is also held by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art and the Newark Museum. She has exhibited internationally, including in the United States, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.
Her advocacy and art are closely connected. Tugbiyele has described working with LGBTQ+ and human-rights organizations including The Initiative for Equal Rights, Women’s Health and Equal Rights Initiative, and African Men for Sexual Health and Rights. The Joan Mitchell Foundation identifies her as the first openly queer woman of Nigerian descent to appear on CNN International, in a 2014 interview. Through her creative work and public engagement, she contributes to conversations about queer African lives, Yoruba aesthetics, spirituality, and self-determination.
Notable Works
Homeless Hungry Homo
Multimedia work examining queer identity, displacement, and belonging.
Past/Future (2015)
Sculptural work exploring ancestry, memory, and the continuity of African identity.
Loss and Rebirth (2015 – 2016)
Work reflecting on transformation, resilience, and healing through personal and collective experience.
Lovebird 6 (2014)
Artwork exploring intimacy, identity, and queer visibility through symbolic imagery.
Testimony
Series examining spirituality, resilience, and the lived experiences of marginalized communities.
Learn More
Explore Adejoke Tugbiyele’s official portfolio, biography, exhibitions, publications, and current projects.
Read an overview of Tugbiyele’s life, artistic career, exhibitions, awards, and activism.
Smithsonian National Museum of African Art
View Past/Future (2015), one of Tugbiyele’s works in the Smithsonian’s permanent collection.
Joan Mitchell Foundation Artist Profile
Learn about Tugbiyele’s artistic practice, major works, exhibitions, awards, and career milestones.
"Personal is Political: Sexual Identity and ‘Nigerian Culture’" – HuffPost
Read Tugbiyele’s essay reflecting on sexuality, identity, and contemporary Nigerian culture.
BQW Impact
Adejoke Tugbiyele has expanded the visibility of Black queer African experiences through a multidisciplinary artistic practice that bridges sculpture, performance, film, and activism. By centering queer African narratives alongside spirituality, migration, and human rights, she challenges dominant cultural narratives while celebrating resilience and self-determination. Her work has helped broaden international conversations about LGBTQ+ visibility, contemporary African art, and the power of creative practice as a catalyst for social change.
Profile details
- Fields: Art
- Roles: Sculpture, Performance Art
- Gender Identity: Woman
- LGBTQ Identity: Queer
- Nationality: Nigerian American
- Ethnicity: Yoruba