Olukemi Lijadu
As an artist, writer, musician and DJ, Olukemi Lijadu’s work traces constellations across the Black Atlantic through research and experimentation. Drawing on her mixed heritage from Nigeria, Brazil and the Caribbean, and her grounding in Yoruba philosophy, she seeks to (re)connect fractured histories and musical cultures of the African diasporas worldwide through rhythm.
9 April 2026
Her work has been presented in institutions and festivals including Spike Island, Bristol (31 January – 10 May 2026), where she presented Feedback, her first institutional solo exhibition and largest to date, The Kitchen (New York City), BlackStar Film Festival (Philadelphia), Frieze Cork Street (London), ICA (London), V.O Curations (London) and Marianne Ibrahim Gallery (Chicago). Under the moniker Kem Kem, she has performed live concerts and DJ sets at major cultural institutions in the UK and internationally, including Tate Britain, Serpentine Galleries, ICA (London), Luma Foundation (Arles), Bozar (Brussels), La Gaîté Lyrique (Paris) and the Nigerian National Museum (Lagos). In 2024, she was selected for a residency with Villa Albertine, a programme run by the French Embassy in New York. In October 2025, she was awarded the CIRCA Public Vote Prize, and in November 2025 she was selected to take part in VISIO – the European Programme on Artists’ Moving Images.