Jelili Atiku
Jelili Atiku is a Nigerian multimedia artist with political concerns for human rights and justice. Through drawing, installation sculpture, photography, video and performance (live art); he strives to help viewers understand the world and expanding their understanding and experiences, so that they can activate and renew their lives and environments. For over decade, Jelili has put his art at service of the prevailing concerns of our times; especially those issues that threatening our collective existence and the sustenance of our universe. The contents of these concerns ranging from psychosocial and emotional effects of the traumatic events such violence, war, poverty, corruption, climate change, etc., that associated with our warring world have dominate his artistic forms. Born on Friday 27th September, 1968 in Ejigbo (Lagos), Nigeria, Jelili was trained at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria and University of Lagos, Nigeria – Where he was awarded Bachelor of Arts (Fine Arts) and Master of Arts (Visual Arts) respectively. He presently teaches sculpture in Department of Art and Industrial Design, Lagos State Polytechnic, Lagos, Nigeria. He is the project leader of Art Africa Forum; the artistic Director of AFiRIperFOMA – a collective of performance artists in Africa; and Chief Coordinator of Advocate for Human Rights Through Art (AHRA). Jelili has travelled widely and participated in numerous performances/exhibitions/talks in Lagos (Nigeria), Vancouver BC and Victoria BC (Canada), Gunpo (South Korea), Tokyo (Japan), Paris (France), Berlin (Germany), Madrid (Spain); Malmo, Copenhagen (Denmark), Jarna (Sweden); London, Wales, Manchester, Scarborough, York (United Kingdom); Casablanca (Morocco), Accra (Ghana), Harare (Zimbabwe), Limbe and Yaoundé (Cameroun, Kampala (Uganda), etc.
Events
Opening reception for In Acts, a group exhibition curated by Nabiha Kahn at Weinberg/Newton Gallery inspired by the summit that will bring international artists to the University of Chicago’s campus later that month to ask: What is an artistic practice of human rights?
Day one of the multi-day summit, What is an Artistic Practice of Human Rights?, features an imersive day of artist presentations to include performances, screenings, conversations, and lectures.
Day two of the two-day summit, What is an Artistic Practice of Human Rights?, features a public forum comprising two artist panels moderated by members of the summit's organizational team.