Jemila Isa is a British artist, born to parents of Nigerian descent. Her practice spanning painting, sculpture, animation and mono-print, engages with themes of spirituality, inherited narratives, womanhood and the tension of locating the self amidst tradition.
Through a richly layered visual language rooted in conceptual rigor and a deep material sensitivity, her work navigates the complexities of diasporic identity, inherited narratives, and cultural memory.
Alongside painting; her use of hand-worked materials such as wood carving, and experimental processes like animation and printmaking become a form of storytelling and an act of preservation. Drawing from personal experience and collective history, Isa constructs visual worlds where folklore, family, and faith intersect.
Her work often reflects on the role of religion and spirituality in shaping the lives of women—particularly within West African societies and across the diaspora. In this context, her figures, frequently rendered with wide, startled eyes or vacant, apathetic expressions, embody a quiet urgency. These gazes speak to the invisible constraints imposed by rigid beliefs, echoing the internal conflicts of women denied agency, expression, or alternatives.
Isa’s practice is as much about the unseen as it is about the tangible—the invisible hands of tradition, the presence of ancestral spirits, the silence of women shaped by expectation. At once intimate and expansive, her work challenges viewers to consider what is inherited, what is imposed, and what might be reclaimed.
Exhibitions
Solo
Held By Invisible Hands: Cape Town, Stevenson- 17 May - 21 June 2025
Unvisited Dreams:Memories in practice: London, Lofty, Black Curatorial- June 2024
Duo
In Her Spirit: London, Bolanle Contemporary, Sadie Coles HQ, The Shop- 26 March - 26 April 2025
Group
Catharsis: London, Chelsea Centre for Creative Industries- June 2024
Works on Paper 6: London, Blue Shop Gallery- April 2024
Awards/Grants
Art Council England, DYCP grant (round 18)- October 2023
Residencies
Black Blossoms Studio Residency- January 2025
Art Fairs
RMB Latitudes 23 May - 25 May 2025
Press