[Profile Watch] Jelili Atiku

Jelili Atiku (born 27 September 1968) is a Nigerian multimedia performance artist and sculptor based in Lagos. Renowned for his provocative works incorporating drawing, photography, installation sculpture, video, and live art, Atiku is one of Nigeria’s most internationally recognised performance artists. His practice draws heavily on Yoruba symbols, spiritual traditions, and local community rituals while addressing contemporary issues of human rights, social justice, corruption, and political critique.

Early life and education

Atiku was born on 27 September 1968 in Ejigbo, a community in Lagos State, Nigeria. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, in 1998, where he received the Cyprian Ihejiahi Award for Best Final Year Student in Sculpture. He later obtained a Master of Arts degree in Visual Arts from the University of Lagos in 2006.

His early teaching career included positions as a fine arts instructor at Federal Government College, Ikot Ekpene (1998), graduate assistant lecturer at the University of Lagos (2004–2005), and part-time lecturer at Lagos State Polytechnic (2011–2013). In 2018, he served as an assistant professor in the Department of Africana Studies/Rite and Reason Theatre at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, USA.

Career

Atiku’s work centres on human rights, justice, and freedom of expression, often placing him in conflict with authorities. His performances frequently incorporate Yoruba cultural elements to critique societal and political issues, blending ritual, activism, and spectacle.

A notable incident occurred in 2016 when Atiku was arrested following a performance in Ejigbo titled Aragamago Must Rid This Land of Terrorism, inspired by a violent attack on women in the community. He viewed the act as an “abomination” requiring public ritual cleansing. Charged by local authorities, he was later cleared amid pressure from national and international art communities.

Atiku has collaborated with international artists, including Helene Aurell, Nigel Wells, and Pål Gunnäs (2012), Graham Martin (UK), and the Welsh group TOGYG. His global presence includes participation in BTS’s CONNECT project (2020) and representation of Nigeria at the Venice Biennale (2017).

Notable works and performances

Atiku’s performances are durational, participatory, and site-specific, often exploring themes of loss, resistance, and cultural identity.

• Aráfẹ́rakù (2013): A 44-hour meditation on the death of his father, whom he never met. The Yoruba title means “a part of me is missing.” Performed in a wallpapered space with his father’s photograph, it included a brief appearance by his mother and culminated in a public Yoruba-style burial ceremony blurring reality and fiction.

Other significant works include:

• (I am) À Yàmù Yorùbá (Maanifesítò VIII) (2022) — Commissioned for the Prince Claus Fund’s 25th Anniversary.
• Nobody Is Born Wise (2020) — 14-hour durational performance at India Art Fair, New Delhi.
• The Night Has Ears (2020) — With 64 participants at Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin.
• Enítere Èjitere (Iponri I) (2019) — Performed in Haifa, Israel, and Lagos, Nigeria.
• Ọlọ́mọyọyọ (2019) — At SPIELART Festival, Munich.
• E Don Tey Wey We Dey (2019) — At Lagos Book and Arts Festival and in Brussels.
• Senate, Are You a Rotten Head? (Maanifesito IV) (2016) — Critiquing political corruption in Lagos.

Awards and recognition

Atiku has received numerous accolades for his contributions to art and activism:

• Artist Protection Fund Award, Institute of International Education (2018)
• Ota Club Quintessential Gold Award (2016)
• Lagos Watch Media Consult Ambassador of Peace and Security Award (2016)
• Distinguished Master Artist Award, Society of Nigerian Artists (Lagos Chapter) (2015)
• Prince Claus Award, Netherlands (2015)
• African Artists’ Foundation Award (2015)
• Abiodun Adebayo Welfare Foundation Award of Excellence (2015)
• Various mobility grants and earlier student/service awards (1998–2012)

References

• Wikipedia article on Jelili Atiku (as of 2025)
• Prince Claus Fund profile
• African Artists’ Foundation and related publications
• Interviews and reviews in Contemporary And, The Republic, and Artsy