Esiri Erheriene-Essi: Artist Talk

Esiri Erheriene-Essi (1982) is a United Kingdom-born and Amsterdam-based Nigerian artist from Lewisham, South London. In 2000 she attended Camberwell College of Art for a foundation year. From 2001-2004 she studied Media Studies at University of East London and attained a Masters of Fine Art from the same university in 2006. In 2007 Erheriene-Essi attended the international residency programme De Ateliers in Amsterdam, the Netherlands and in 2009 she won the prestigious Dutch Royal Award for Modern Painting prize. In 2011 she was a nominee for the Volkskrant Visual Arts Prize, and in 2014 Erheriene-Essi had her first museum solo exhibition at Museum Arnhem, the Netherlands. In 2019 she was shortlisted for the Prix de Rome, the oldest and most generous prize for talented artists and architects in the Netherlands.

Shaquille Heath is a writer and essayist based in Los Angeles, exploring identity, memory, and cultural expression—particularly through the lens of contemporary art and Black visual culture. Her work appears in Juxtapoz (where she is a contributing editor), Elephant, ALTA Journal, The Cut, and more. She also collaborates with museums, galleries, and cultural institutions to craft writing that deepens engagement and builds lasting narratives.