Deolu Femi | Artist at Mondoir

Nationality: Nigerian

Discipline: mixed-media (paper layering and paper quilling)

Born: 1999

Based in: Lagos, Nigeria

Biography

Deolu Femi (b. 1999, Ogun State, Nigeria) is a self taught contemporary paper artist with a background in Geophysics whose work is inspired by memories, daily activities, human experience and expresses them through the delicate techniques of paper layering and quilling. Drawing from childhood memories, personal struggles, and everyday moments, he creates textured paper compositions that reflect how we remember, rebuild, and reinterpret the past, and present. Femi’s practice also celebrates the beauty of nature, capturing the intricate patterns and movement of leaves, feathers, and animal forms, a tribute to life’s fragility and beauty. His works have been exhibited at the Plus234 Art Fair (2025), the Fobally Art Festival (2025), Lagos Fringe Group Exhibition, Freedom Park, and Childhood Bliss Group Exhibition, The Ark by Anny Robert. His work was also featured in the Ake Arts Book Review (November 2025). In 2025, Femi participated in a one-on-one portfolio review with Benedict Alliot, Director General of Cité internationale des arts, Paris, an experience that offered valuable international insight into his growing body of work. His artworks are held in private collections across Nigeria and beyond. He currently lives and work in Lagos, where his practice continues to evolve around themes of memory, experiences, and the shared emotions that connects us all.

Artist Statement

My work is a reflection on memory, daily activities, experiences and the ways our experiences shape who we are. I use paper as a language, cutting, layering, and building forms that mirror the process of remembering. Each layer carries pieces of time, emotion, and story, creating a bridge between the past and the present. Growing up in Nigeria, I was surrounded by the activities of everyday life, the games, the laughter, the silences, and the lessons that formed our sense of self. These moments, though ordinary, hold meaning. Through my art, I revisit them, not to simply recall, but to understand how they continue to live within us. Working with paper allows me to translate memory into texture. Every fold, tear, and layer becomes an act of reconstruction, a way of piecing together identity, culture, and emotion in physical form. My practice is an evolving search for connection, between time, place, and the stories that make us human. I also capture and interpret the beauty of nature through paper quilling, capturing the textures and patterns of leaves, feathers, and animal forms. My works often depict nature in motion or bloom, celebrating its fragile and enduring beauty and encouraging a deeper connection with the natural world.