In conversation with:
BUNMI AGUSTO (OS 2017)
Bunmi Agusto is an artist, writer, curator and art historian focused on fantasy and magical storytelling. Her work is informed by her upbringing in Lagos, Nigeria and she combines painting, drawing and printmaking to create vibrant compositions of a fantasy world she calls Within.
“What I want people to feel is a sense of whimsy. My favourite compliments are when people say that my work feels like reading story books that they read as children.”
Can you take me back to the first moment you realised that making art mattered to you?
I’ve had multiple moments with different scales of realisation. At age 13, I visited London and went to the Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition and remember seeing Grayson Perry’s large-scale tapestries. I was so confused, but pleasantly so. They looked like graphic novels and thought, “I want that sort of career where I have free reign to conjure up whatever I like”.
Going back to your time at Sevenoaks School and studying IB Art, is there a memory from school that pops into your head even now when you’re writing or creating?
I’m a big ideas person, I probably have five new ideas every day and I’m constantly asking, “What if I do this? What if I do that?” I remember Mr Openshaw at Sevenoaks School would say, “Okay, you’ve got lots of great ideas, but you need to actually stick with one and execute it”. I think that’s useful in avoiding burnout because as an artist you need to pace yourself and I probably have enough ideas already to last me the next decade.
Was there anything someone at Sevenoaks School said to you that stuck with you or influenced the path you later took?
Sevenoaks School is an academically competitive school and sometimes you can question yourself if you don’t feel like you’re performing at the standard of your peers. I wasn’t sure which university I was going to get into, and the application process is intense. Each of the universities wants a different kind of portfolio as part of the application process alongside a letter of recommendation. I couldn’t even bring myself to read my letter of recommendation which was written by Mr Openshaw. But I remember walking past the university advisors and they stopped me and told me how incredible it was. I still haven’t read it! But I got into Central Saint Martins to do a BA in Fine Art.
How did the IB at Sevenoaks School set you up for university life?
IB Art at Sevenoaks School is so strong that I skipped doing a Foundation Diploma and went straight into university. In the interviews, I was able to answer questions, talk about my inspirations and demonstrate that I was confident in what I was doing. I think that most students in my year doing the IB got 97% or higher which is way above the average score nationally. At Sevenoaks School, everyone was in their own lane doing their thing and the teachers were able to tailor their teaching towards what we required and our genuine interests.
Aside from Grayson Perry, which other artists have had the greatest influence on you?
My dad really supported me with my art and reached out to British-Nigerian artist Yinka Shonibare and we went to visit him in his studio when I was about 17. We showed Yinka some of my work and asked him what a career as an artist looks like and how to navigate the art world and what to aim for. I remember telling Yinka I was aiming for a specific programme for emerging contemporary artists in Nigeria and he said I needed to aim a lot higher!
How have you dealt with any failures along the way?
I see rejection as incompatibility, as opposed to one not being good enough for something. For example, all institutions have their own identities and priorities and when I was applying for my MFA, I applied to Oxford and Yale, but Yale didn’t even offer me an interview. On the contrary, Oxford gave me a place with a full scholarship that I did not even apply for.
In 2025 you were invited to debut at Frieze festival, how did that come about and how did it feel?
I really don’t like surprises, but the TAFETA gallery owners called me and asked me to come in urgently. I just opened my show at the gallery, so I was worried something had gone wrong. They told me I was going to be showing my work at Frieze and I didn’t understand because you must apply to Frieze and I hadn’t! They told me I had been invited by Dr Jareh Das to be part of her curated section at the fair, called Echoes in the Present. I was excited, stunned. And then the reality of the workload hit! Last year was my busiest year yet, I had five solo shows going on each with different themes like astronomy and ancestry and then the brief for Frieze was quite specific, but you don’t say no to Frieze!
How do you define yourself as an artist now?
I’m a world builder, because I specialise in fantasy and magical storytelling. I am a systematic thinker and, in my writing, I analyse systems. I can take abstract ideas that seem irrational and apply a framework to them. I’ve been doing that with my own artwork, and I now write about that process for other people too. I am also a consultant and have consulted on puppet design for Theatre Rites, specifically developing designs for a dance performance and I consulted on the Doctor Who episode, The Story and the Engine which was set in Nigeria.
What do you hope someone feels when they spend time with your work?
What I want people to feel is a sense of whimsy. My favourite compliments are when people say that my work feels like reading story books that they read as children.
What do you think 18 year-old Bunmi would say if she could see you now?
I think she would be proud. Especially of the speed with which I’ve attained some of my goals. With the mentorship of Yinka Shonibare, I felt like I had someone to answer to every year and that has really pushed me.
