JOKE AMUSAN
Joke Amusan is a storyteller in every sense of the word. An artist, facilitator, and creative voice whose work speaks to the layered, powerful, and evolving realities of Black womanhood. German-Nigerian and based in London, her practice blends immersive installations with sculptural storytelling, creating spaces that are as emotionally resonant as they are visually arresting.
At the heart of Joke’s work is a deep interrogation of identity, heritage, and migration. Themes she unpacks through textured materials, personal narratives, and multi-sensory experiences. Her pieces don’t just sit in a gallery; they move, question, and speak. Through them, she builds bridges between past and present, between her lived experience and the shared experience of her community. Her work doesn’t ask to be observed, it asks to be felt.
Using sculpture and installation as her primary languages, Joke crafts environments that bring people together. Her works are both deeply personal and universally relevant, reflecting on what it means to carry histories, cultural, maternal, migratory within the body. Her approach invites audiences to slow down, listen closely, and lean into discomfort as much as into celebration.
Joke’s artistic journey has led her to exhibit across the UK, US, and Europe, with her work showcased at world-renowned institutions including Tate Modern, ICA, and The African Diaspora Art Museum of Atlanta. In 2023, she was a finalist for The Ingram Prize, and her creative impact earned her a nomination for the Female Founder Award in The Independent Awards. These accolades reflect a growing recognition of her role in reshaping how Black women’s stories are seen, heard, and honoured in contemporary art.
But Joke’s work extends far beyond the white walls of the gallery. She is the founder and voice behind She Stands Firm, an empowerment platform built by and for Women of Colour. Through creative workshops, community-led projects, and reflective spaces, She Stands Firm offers a blueprint for artistic empowerment rooted in care, confidence, and collective growth. It’s more than a platform it’s a movement dedicated to making room, not just making art.
A graduate of Art & English Literature, Joke’s academic background infuses her visual work with a lyrical quality. Her installations often read like poetic gestures carefully composed, rich with subtext, and guided by narrative intention. Whether through carved materials, spoken word, or quiet symbolism, she harnesses the power of storytelling to reclaim space, build solidarity, and uplift underrepresented voices.
Joke Amusan stands as a bold and necessary force in the contemporary art world. Her work confronts erasure, celebrates complexity, and champions the beauty of lived experience. With every project, she invites others to take up space unapologetically—to share, to reflect, and to stand firm.
Installation as part of Moniker Art House
