Sola Olulode (b. 1996) is a British-Nigerian artist based in London. She received her BA in Fine Art Painting from the University of Brighton in 2018. Olulode’s work features in notable global collections including; The Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington D.C.; The Perez Art Museum, Miami; Columbia University, NYC; and Towner Eastbourne, UK.
Olulode’s practice is deeply anchored in the history of Nigerian textile traditions, a craft she continues to refine through regular workshops with traditional dyers in Lagos. By integrating ancestral techniques such as Batik and other resist dyeing with mediums such as ink, pastel and oil she creates canvases with profound historical and tactile depth.
Beyond her technical craftsmanship, Olulode’s work imagines a utopian world centered on the universal human experiences of intimacy, love and freedom, with Black and queer figures at the center. Through scenes of shared reflection and tender embrace, she creates a dreamy visual atmosphere that transcends specific boundaries. Her figures represent the energy and complexity of the human spirit, offering a timeless vision of belonging and the enduring power of human connection.
Solo exhibitions include; I’ve Got To Know You Now We May Never Meet Again, Lawrie Shabibi, Dubai (2025); Islands of the Blessed, Berntson Bhattacharjee, London (2024); Burning, Like the star that showed us our love, Ed Cross, London (2023); Could You Be Love, Sapar Contemporary, New York (2022); Where the Ocean Meets the Beach, VO Curations, London (2020). Group exhibitions include; Here: Pride and Belonging in African Art, The Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art, Washington DC (2026); The Cleaning, Space Un, Tokyo (2025); Queer Love, Stephen Friedman Gallery, New York (2025); The Peace of Wild Things, Soho Review, London (2025); Conversations, Walker Gallery Art, Liverpool (2024); Keeping Time, curated by Ekow Eshun and Karon Hepburn, Gallery 1957, Accra (2024); Hospital Rooms, Digital Art School, Hauser & Wirth, London (2024): In Praise of Black Errantry, Unit, Venice (2024); Like Paradise, Claridges Art Space, London (2023); Touching The Sky, Mucciaccia Contemporary, Rome (2023); Dreaming of Home, Leslie Lohman Museum of Art, New York (2023); Reverie, Dada Gallery, Lagos (2023): To Be Held, Carl Freedman Gallery, Margate (2023).