Talking Points: Yinka Ilori and Chair Design
A collection of sources and imagery to explore the work of Yinka Ilori.
Please note that this page contains links to external websites and has videos from external websites embedded. At the time of creating, AccessArt checked all links to ensure content is appropriate for teachers to access. However external websites and videos are updated and that is beyond our control.
Please let us know if you find a 404 link, or if you feel content is no longer appropriate.
We strongly recommend as part of good teaching practice that teachers watch all videos and visit all websites before sharing with a class. On occasion there may be elements of a video you would prefer not to show to your class and it is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure content is appropriate. Many thanks.
*If you are having issues viewing videos it may be due to your schools firewall or your cookie selection. Please check with your IT department.*
This resource is free to access and is not a part of AccessArt membership.
Yinka Ilori
Yinka Ilori is a multidisciplinary artist and designer with a bold bright visual language influenced by his British-Nigerian heritage. Three components that feature heavily in Yinka’s work are pattern, colour and storytelling.
Yinka uses his crafts as a way to communicate Nigerian parables and verbal traditions.
His work is described as a fusion between contemporary design and Nigerian tradition.
“If the chair you are sitting on could tell your story, would it be a dangerous or good thing?”
Explore some of Yinka’s chairs here.
Please note: Teacher Advisory. Pls watch the video below and decide if you would rather start the video after a few minutes in.
Explore Yinka’s collection ‘If Chairs Could Talk‘ alongside work by the poet Julian Knxx
Watch these videos made by the Craft Council about Yinka’s practise.
Questions to Ask Children
Make a list of everything that you can see in the classroom that has been designed by an artist/designer.
Spend 5 minutes designing a chair based on your mood right now, think about your decision making and annotate the design.
Name colours that are happy/sad/angry/excited.
This Talking Points Is Used In...
using sketchbooks to make visual notes
