Originally published by Architectural Digest, we take a look at the lush home of the visionary Nigerian-American artist, located in Victoria Island, Lagos.
The home was previously owned by a local industrialist for several decades and underwent an extensive, year long renovation which was guided solely by Wiley himself and what was described as “his instinctual response to the space…..”.
When not travelling for his international shows, the artist would typically be found at Black Rock Senegal, the multi-studio artist residency he founded in Dakar about four years ago. This new home in Lagos has now become his refuge of choice.
The Lagos space presented the opportunity to have a much more quiet, interior type of presence in West Africa. It is a temple to solitude, a space to create much more experimental work….When I’m here, I paint whenever I feel like it. I paint in the middle of the night. I paint early mornings. I paint without the pressure of commercial obligation, without an endgame in mind. I get to play, feel vulnerable, and oftentimes have breakthroughs
Kehinde Wiley in conversation with architectural digest
The home features an abundance of sliding glass doors to replace solid walls, as well a planted courtyard with koi pond which forms a focal point of sorts. Pieces by Senegalese textile and furniture designer Aissa Dione feature prominently within the home, including low-slung sofas, cocktail tables as well as woven quilts and pillows. A Hamed Ouattara sideboard and beaded Yoruba armchairs also populate the interior courtesy the Alára luxury concept store. The most prominent feature of the home would be the layered tropical gardens that enrich the site and offer a contrast to the black, faceted, brutalist form of the renovated structure. You can read the full article on architectural digest here. Photography courtesy Yagazie Emezi.
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