Aindrea Emelife, Curator and Art Historian (London via Lagos)

On place

"Place" has been increasingly something of interest to me. Being part of a Diaspora, of Nigerian heritage but British-born, I have always felt in-between places. Equally, I have always been intrigued by how places can live in one’s soul even when we are elsewhere physically. Traveling ever more frequently to Nigeria has activated a sense of belonging. I navigate the world through art as understanding myself and humanity through art and art history has always felt like the most comfortable and exploratory lens. As a child who couldn't travel much, art opened the world to me and took me through time and to different places. So, working more in Africa and with art and history opens new parts of myself I perhaps haven't yet understood. Places provide context. I have a chameleon soul. I feel lucky to feel at home in two places, but in terms of discovering myself, the place that I am drawn to is Nigeria. There is so much of that world, so many ideas, so many stories that have been invisible and are ready for resurrection.

On spiritual protection

I always carry books with me. I have said that we carry history with us, but I take this literally. I feel grounded with the knowledge of the past and so the possibilities of the future with me. I find a home in people, and I find it in art. Museums were always a place of solace for me. Hyper curious, sometimes dangerously slow, museums are where curiosity is rewarded and where stories live. And each time you visit the story is told differently. I find peace and empowerment in that. All the world's futures lie ahead.


Photography by Benjamin Breading
Styling by Bonnie Langedijk