Artist Bio
Ayesha Feisal is a British/Sierra Leonean artist born in London, where she lives and works. An interdisciplinary artist, Feisal creates captivating forms, drawing inspiration from studying behaviour and the mind while exploring the effects of experience. Influenced by the expressionist and futurist movements, her intrigue comes from how artists of such eras depicted meaning, experience, movement, and time.
“ My art is a reflection of my journey as a woman, inspired by the feminine form and the depth of the psyche. It explores my emotional and physical experiences and how they’ve built resilience in me. I am deeply connected to the relationships between the body, nature, and spirituality. For me, these elements come together to reveal the power of transformation—both in the individual and in collective consciousness. I examine personal growth, the shifts we undergo, and the wider correlation to the cosmos.”
Feisal’s art is informed by awareness, balance and truth, and she is drawn to portray characters who move beyond the impact of circumstance, environment, and social condition.
She is a passionate advocate for self-empowerment and uses creativity as a form of resistance to address issues that impact Black women worldwide. She was a founding member of the Black British Female Artist (BBFA) group, established in 2015 to combat the lack of visibility and recognition for Black female artists in the UK. The BBFA collective worked to create more opportunities for Black female artists, and their diverse work represented stories from the Diaspora.
Feisal has exhibited in shows, including: 1:54 Contemporary Art Fair (‘Off The Tracks’) Marrakesh, Morocco, and Dakar Biennale (OFF Dak’Art Gallery of Small Things) Senegal. In 2019, she was selected for ‘No Room for Fear’ with SMO Contemporary, BBFA Collective, and the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art; she also exhibited with Tafeta Gallery at ArtX Lagos. Feisal was selected to show at the Royal Academy’s ‘Reclaiming The Magic’ exhibition, the ING Discerning Eye, and more recently at Gagosian and The Tate, London.
She has been featured in; Evening Standard, Harpers Bazaar Arabia and ALT Africa
Exhibition History:
2025 (upcoming) Soft Tissues, Hard Truths, Lemonseed Project/ Havant House, London
2024 Mek We Chat, 198 Contemporary Arts and Learning, London
2024 Constellations Part 1: Figures on Earth and Beyond, Gallery 1957, London
2023 Freedom Frequencies, Tate Britain, London
2023 Rites of Passage, Gagosian, Britannia St, London
2022 The Black Effect (The Joy In Identity), SMO Contemporary Art (Nigeria), Hogan Lovells, London
2022 Garden of Souvenirs, Solo show, Tafeta Gallery, London
2021 Royal Academy of Arts Summer Exhibition, Main Galleries, London
2021 ING Discerning Eye Exhibition, Mall Galleries, London
2020 Negritude Re-Embodied, Hoxton 253 Gallery, London
2019 ArtX Lagos (Tafeta Gallery/ BBFA) Lagos, Nigeria
2019 No Room For Fear, Hogan Lovells LLP, in partnership with the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, BBFA and SMO Contemporary Art (Nigeria), Holborn, London
2019 Transitions (solo show), Tafeta Gallery, Fitzrovia, London
2019 The Next Wave: The Power of Authenticity and Self Validation (HAART), Hoxton Arches, London
2018 BBFA Presents/, Tafeta Gallery, London
2018 Dakar Biennale, OFF Dak’Art, GoST group show, Dakar, Senegal
2018 1:54 Contemporary Art Fair ‘Off The Tracks’ (Little Africa/ Des Gosses), Marrakech, Morocco
2017 Gallery of Small Things), Bisi Silver Project, Lagos, Nigeria
2017 ‘A Seat At The Table’, BBFA Collective), 198 Gallery, London
2016 ‘Formation’, Solo Show, Camden Image Gallery, London
2016 Art Meets Music, Hoxton Gallery, London
2016 Black British Female Artist (BBFA) Discussion Forum, Lacey Contemporary, UK
2015 Vision To Reality (BBFA Collective), TEDx, Euston, UK
2015 AACDD Festival BBFA Collective), Bargehouse Gallery, Oxo Tower, London
Projects/ Workshops
2024 Mek We Chat, Ubele Initiative
2021 Lead Artist, Drawing Act V, Drawing Room UK https://drawingroom.org.uk/draw/drawing-acts/
2020 Go Art, Go Home, Small Green Shoots
2018 ‘Off The Tracks’ Ephemeral Artist Residency, Little Africa/Des Gosses Marrakech, Morocco
Partnerships / Panels / Talks
2020 University of the Arts, London ‘ Blackground’ event panel
2020 Negritude Reimbodied, 253 Hoxton Project Space
2019 The Power of Authenticity and Self Validation, Hoxton Arches
2016 African Routes, Lacey Contemporary Gallery
Education:
1999 BA (Hons) Graphic Fine Art (University of East London)
1994 Foundation Diploma in Art and Design (College of North East London)
Press
2019 https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/esmagazine/the-rise-of-african-art-a4244361.html
2019 ALT Africa, She CAN interview
Publications:
2022 Drawing Act V, Along the Line, In The Space
Ayesha Feisal 