A closer look at Barry YUSUFU’s future classics
In his own words, Barry Yusufu’s journey (b.1996) has been nothing short of organic. It began in 2017, sketching family and friends, and has since evolved into more than 35 exhibitions including solos, with works acquired by prestigious institutions, museums, and private collections. A compelling artistic voice within the contemporary landscape, Barry YUSUFU’s bold portraits of African people, rendered in luminous bronze and gold hues, have captivated audiences around the world. Yusufu is on a mission: to place the African man in museums, reclaiming his true identity: royal, glorious, beautiful. For him, it is time for the restoration of the Sun People against historical inaccuracy.
Barry YUSUFU
A deep thinker with a contemplative mind, Barry YUSUFU in this interview shares his reflections with Mayi Arts as we retrace the steps of his singular artistic journey. The Nigerian-born artist is currently based in London, where he is completing a Master’s degree at Central Saint Martins.
Ngalula MAFWATA, Mayì Arts : What first sparked your interest in making art?
Barry YUSUFU : Like many others, I started drawing in school, it wasn’t anything serious at the time and was focusing on my studies. After graduation however, I moved out the family home to be closer to Abuja and was met with loneliness. When you spend so much time by yourself as a man, you begin to analyse so many things and start thinking about the future, what you have within you that could give yourself some form of relevance and purpose in life. I knew I could draw and sketch, so one day I picked up a pencil and did a portrait of a friend. She was so excited by the results. It was one of those moments when I realised I could do more with my work, that I had the power to make people smile. I went on drawing portraits of my relatives : uncles, aunties, everyone. The drive kept growing. I wanted more. I wanted it to become something real.
Ngalula MAFWATA, Mayì Arts : How did you get started more involved and decided to take the leap ?
Barry YUSUFU : I reached out to artists online and was eventually introduced to the online collective Draw Addicts that allowed artists to share progress on their art and get constructive criticism on. This helped me to improve my skills. Shortly after, my friend, artist Enoch Jr CHINWEUBA, who was based in Abuja introduced me to the city collectives where I met also Oliver OKOLO among many other artists. Until then, I did not understand what could come out of art. They were already light years ahead, making massive paintings while I was there making pencil sketches. Laughs. I went back home feeling more inspired to work harder. This was in 2017. The following year, I started exhibiting in Abuja across different pop ups. By 2019, I had done over 15 and not a single sale.
While doing this I was also trying to figure out whether I could pursue a degree at a university of technology. Looking back, this definitely was a messed up era, I was broke and could barely keep up with the activities which made me eventually drop out of school. I told myself I would focus on art and give it all I have. I still had four years to go to school and bet on myself that if I gave myself four years into art, there was no way something would not come out of it…laughs. I came back home and started painting, with the state of mind that I would work on it until it does not.
“I still had four years to go to school and bet on myself that if I gave myself four years into art, there was no way something would not come out of it…laughs. I came back home and started painting, with the state of mind that I would work on it until it does not. ”
Ngalula MAFWATA : At what moment did things begin to change for you?
Barry YUSUFU : In 2019, a woman, Joyous, approached my friend Kalejaye TOSIN and she was entrusted to show my work at the Harlem Art Show, of course I accepted. I did not even have the money to ship it and had to borrow from my stepdad. On the second day of the show though, she called me to tell me all the paintings had sold. It was the first time I was selling work. In the past, even though people loved my work, they wouldn’t buy it. Many would say they couldn’t have someone else’s face hanging in their home because of beliefs, a sentiment that’s quite common among Nigerians.
Ngalula MAFWATA : Which could have been challenging given your practice is centred around portraiture…
Barry YUSUFU : I have always loved portraits. I have always been in love with people’s faces, I believe you can tell a person’s story through looking at them. The structure of the face, the colour of the eyes, the shape of the nose, all of it tells you something, even where someone might be from. At the time, I didn’t know anything about pricing, especially for an international audience. So I called a friend and asked for advice. How far should I go with it? He suggested pricing the pieces between $1,500 and $3,000. I followed his advice, and they all sold. When Joyous called to tell me that all the paintings had sold on the second day, and that someone was interested in buying more of my work, I was still processing the fact that people had bought anything at all. I didn’t care much about the collector at first, I was just amazed that my work had been appreciated. He was insisting on buying everything. But for me, I wanted the work to go to the first person who connected with it. It was never about the money. I was already moved that someone saw enough value in it to make a purchase. That moment meant more to me, especially after my experiences in Abuja.
She went on to manage me for two years, introducing me to new audiences and eventually Luce Gallery in Torino (Italy) where I had my very first solo exhibition. Later, I met a woman at Lagos Wunika Mukan who saw my work and invited me to take part in a group show. Not long after, I was introduced to Azu Nwagbogu, who took an interest in my practice. Through him, I was connected with Unit London, where we held a show, followed by another in Lagos with the African Artists’ Foundation, which he curated.
“ I have always been in love with people’s faces, I believe you can tell a person’s story through looking at them. The structure of the face, the colour of the eyes, the shape of the nose, all of it tells you something, even where someone might be from.”
Sisters in Act, Barry YUSUFU, 2024
Ngalula MAFWATA : Can you walk us through the journey that led to your shift from charcoal to bronze, and how your identity and background have shaped your artistic choices?
Barry YUSUFU : At the time, I was essentially working with charcoal and was commissioned an abstract work while in Abuja. I bought some acrylics and started experimenting, mixing them with charcoal. That’s when my technique began to evolve. When I ran out of acrylics, I started thinking about how to handle the negative space in my paintings. That’s how I began adding coffee as well. I would soak it in water, dip my brushes into it, and glaze over the charcoal. This created a very unique hue, almost like a patina of time. When you look at the paintings you almost get lost in time. Once I unveiled these new paintings, the reception was overwhelming. The demand was intense, I felt like I was creating in a factory. Retrospectively, it all happened organically. Eventually other artists also joined which eventually became an art movement. In a moment of reflection, I asked myself: in five, ten years, what would I have contributed to the African people, my people ? What kind of stories will I have portrayed and how would they have impacted lives ? I realised I wasn’t painting to my full potential. I wasn’t representing my people the way they truly deserved to be seen.
I’m a very explorative person. One day, while experimenting, I stumbled upon a technique that gave the work a thatched, bronze-like finish, and I thought, this is it. Eventually this technique had more resonance for me. As Africans, we come from royalty. God has blessed us with abundance, through the richness of our minerals and the greatness of our heritage and centuries of innovation. Painting a black man in the bronze hue is a way to show this inheritance and reclaim our history and identity. I don’t want to paint a black man as you want to see a black man. I want to paint a black man, as I see a black man. Prior to leaving Nigeria and travelling to the US then in other countries I did not know there was a problem with my skin colour. Portraying black people with that skin tone became important. When you look at the figures on the canvas, you connect with them beyond their skin tone, you see a human presence first. Blackness isn’t just about colour; it’s also about our features also. You see the features of a Black man, the bold nose, the defined cheekbones, you recognize it's a Black figure. But you don’t see the color, and this makes you pause and ask: Why was this person painted in this way?
“This created a very unique hue, almost like a patina of time. When you look at the paintings you almost get lost in time [...] Painting a black man in the bronze hue is a way to show this inheritance and reclaim our history and identity. I don’t want to paint a black man as you want to see a black man. I want to paint a black man, as I see a black man.”
A heart to heart before we step out, Barry YUSUFU, 2023
If the cactus pricks II, Barry YUSUFU, 2024
Ngalula MAFWATA : Did you have any others influences in your journey ?
Barry YUSUFU : I come from a deeply religious background. Growing up, I realised that the only time Christ is described in His glorified form, it's with skin like brass, hair white as wool, and eyes like fire. That description is much closer to how we look, yet the dominant image of Christ is still that of a white man with blue eyes. It made me pause and reflect: what I’m doing has a bigger purpose. From the outside, the jump from using charcoal to turning to bronze can appear sudden. However, I tend to never show the experimentations that I am doing behind the scenes. Also this jump was necessary for me also to remove myself from what was the current trends and own my identity and represent my people the right way. I remember this felt like a slap on the face to the gallery and curators I was working with back then as they liked the black faces I was painting until now.
The world does not know what it needs until you give them. People don’t know they need this thing until you show them, it is something I agree with.
I had a fallout with some galleries, curators, and even friends. But for me, it wasn’t just art anymore; it became a form of protest and activism. Maybe our generation won’t fully embrace it, but future children will wake up and see themselves reflected in powerful, beautiful ways.
I had my first solo show using this technique with Luce Gallery though we almost called it off : people were questioning, “Why do you paint these figures so large?” But I wanted to make a statement. The show was titled Behold, Sun’s People—a way of saying: You’ve never truly seen these people before. And even if you think you have, not like this. I was introducing the world to the Sun People. Back in Nigeria we always learned that as a black man if you go under the sun you become blacker, that is not true. We were placed in Africa to soak up the sun—that’s where our power and magnificence come from. They wanted us to hide, to shrink from who we are. I refused that. Sun People was my way of showing who we truly are. I painted the figures minimally—no flowers, no ornamentation on the face. I wanted the raw beauty of the features to speak for themselves. Of the twenty paintings I created for the show, nineteen sold on the day of the preview. Then Luce called me and said, “Barry, thank you for being stubborn.” Laughs. Later that evening, he called again to say the last one had sold too and the show hadn’t even opened yet. That was one of those moments of realization when I told myself, This is an important story I’m telling, and I need to keep going.
I went on to have a series of international exhibitions, over thirty five, including two solos, and works acquired for private collections and museum acquisitions. And here I am today, pursuing a Master’s degree without a formal undergraduate degree. Laughs.
Ngalula MAFWATA : There is an inherent sense of timelessness looking at your work, where does it come from ?
Barry YUSUFU : I’ve always been drawn to old things. I grew up in a very African household, and my stepdad had a cinema room filled with cassette tapes. We watched so many movies, and I was exposed to a flood of imagery from the 1980s and ’90s. The colors from that era have stayed with me, they’re a big part of my visual language today. More broadly, I’m inspired by everything old: from music to color palettes, from traditions to the architecture of old African homes with fences. These are things I cherished as a child, and I find myself constantly going back to them.
Ngalula MAFWATA : Confidence and trust in what you do seem to also play a part in your journey…
Barry YUSUFU : Life as we know it is all about guts, if you do not understand deeply what you are about to get into then don’t even bother wasting your time on it.
And for me if I want to do anything and I see the light and I see the truth in it, there is nothing stopping me exploring it. I will do it and regardless how many people tell me not to, you need to keep hitting on it. I have always known it to be the key to success. You could be doing something as simple as clapping your hands on your lap, and one day, someone might show up and pay for it—just because you believed in it. It doesn’t matter what you do; what matters is that you believe in it.
I wait to read from you, Barry YUSUFU, 2023
Ngalula MAFWATA : You are now in London, completing your Master’s at Central Saint Martins. Do you feel that this change in environment has visually challenged or influenced your work?
Barry YUSUFU : Yes. London is a very beautiful city. One of the best cities I have been to. They have great architecture, they are very diverse. I am diving deeper into research on history but also techniques, use of brushes and architecture of course, landscape, trying to find a way to include these into my work in a way there is a clear balance. In Nigeria I used to paint stories about Nigeria as this was all I had known and I am not an artist who lies to myself : I cannot paint the story of a Black-American for example because I cannot relate to their history. So I have always painted the story of African people, in fact just my neighbours, my friends, my family. In Behold, Sun's People, I wanted to make big portraits of people from the everyday, people that may never have the chance to own a passport nor travel in their lives. I chose to paint the people around me: the laundry man, the gardener, ordinary Nigerians whose faces you might pass by every day. My goal was to place them in the museum, to give them visibility and the dignity they deserve.
Coming to London and undertaking research, I feel my practice evolving behind the scenes. I am exploring the concept of the afterlife of Black people. During the colonial era, people were considered to have no soul and would be experimented on, surgically under the false assumption that this was fine, as these people have no soul and won’t feel any pain.
I do notice today, some Africans do not see themselves as worthy for salvation. This is something only made for the white man. For centuries, the systems that shaped our world have used art and visual representation to construct narratives of worth, humanity, and power. Everything we have known has been shaped through arts and visual representation and I believe only images can reclaim what was taken. Through my art, I am trying to give the Black man a soul. To make him feel worthy. At the same time, I’m asking: is the Black man only seen as relevant when he is painted in the likeness of whiteness?
In this new quest I am exploring how to find a balance and paint pre and post-colonial experiences together. Art is supposed to encapsulate all these eras. My next body of work, between two worlds, features these bronze figures on one side along what they would look like in the afterlife. For the sake of the visual representation and embed in the collective mind of the black man, this is me across realms, and I do have a soul. A way to reclaim the lost souls of the Africans.
Debayo, Barry YUSUFU, 2021
Ngalula MAFWATA : I wonder if this is the reason why prayer is central across many African cultures…
“I am a firm believer in God, but I will say one thing, the moment you have everything you need as people, you have good infrastructure, network, security, you have lights, let’s see how much more you can believe in God. When your basic needs have been provided for, there begins the real test. If you are comfortable and still hold on to your god, that is the real test. ”
Ngalula MAFWATA : What have been the most rewarding experiences since embracing the artistic journey ?
Barry YUSUFU : Discovering art has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. Beyond the exhibitions, collaborations, and recognition, the true gift lies in how art changes your vision. Being an artist, you see the world in a way nobody else sees it, and you can paint the world you would want to live in. That is the first blessing. Art saved me. I was very depressed and almost suicidal at some point at some point. It helped me to find balance and taught me great discipline, patience, and attention to details. It also built me as the man I hoped to become, that I have always envisioned for myself.
Ngalula MAFWATA : How do you navigate your inner world with the reality of this world ?
Barry YUSUFU : I am a very reflective person, always thinking and over-process things. In general what drives me to create are those unanswered questions that deeply affect me. You can see many women figures in my work and that is because I grew up in a family of women. My mum, a wonderful woman, gave her life to take care of this family, same goes for my sisters. Painting women is a way of honouring the strength and the beauty of a woman. Of course men are strong physically but a woman's strength can definitely take up any man’s space.
My internal dialogue is central to how I paint. Why has it been so important to subdue the Black man, to erase every form of African representation? These are the questions I continue to reflect on through my work. Thinking about our rich history and cultures yet the slave trade has been mostly taught, that is the only story of the black man and that is not where we started from. In my work, I look for people that carry a story that I want to tell. And for me this has been easy as every Africans carry similar stories, every Nigerians carry similar stories and if I paint one Nigerian, I paint my story as well. We are just mirrors of each other, we are all of the same oppressive governments, systems and everyone is going through the same struggles but in different dynamics. I am all of my paintings.
Barry YUSUFU in his studio
Ngalula MAFWATA : Do you find it difficult to let go of your work, after spending so much time with and on it, with these faces?
Barry YUSUFU : When I first started, I did not like selling my work and letting them leave my space. Laughs. Now eight years forward, I am used to it, and hope they are in safe hands. Embracing art asa career path, you definitely have to find the balance. And as an artist, the more you create, the more you give to the world, the more you get and the more creative you become. If you hold on to anything you have created, it is not the best of you. The best of you is when you are able to let that thing go, it breeds more creativity. It is like a channel, you just keep tapping and getting from it.
Find more about Barry YUSUFU on his personal spaces.
