ABOUT

Biographies often consider humanity through a function-focused lens, subconsciously shifting human value from intrinsicality, to contingency on productivity-based achievement or potential. What attention do we give to the “how”, within the discourse of existence?

Interrogating the process of inner child reconnection, Tobi uses his body as a point of departure to explore ways of being well, from across the globe. Considering the multiple layers of human identity, as social, physical, intelligent, and infinite beings, Tobi aims to centre love as a truth to which all can subscribe and relate.

Questioning what it means to decolonise the self, Tobi situates the process of healing within west African contexts, inviting considerations on generational trauma healing, beyond the self. Family, social networks, systems, and ultimately the planet are explored as part of this process, as a gateway to imagining a universally equitable future.

The outputs of this ontological inquiry manifest in a portfolio of interconnected practices, namely film, contemporary art, writing, and cultural consultancy. Themes of identity, space, time, and spirituality are centred in Tobi’s work, drawing on pan-Africanist theories and philosophies.

Tobi holds an MA in African Studies from SOAS, University of London, with a thesis focussed on his great-uncle, Chief Aina Onabolu, who is widely acknowledged and celebrated as the founding father of Nigerian modernism. He also holds a BA in Combined Arts (French & Philosophy) from Durham University.

His work has been featured in group exhibitions, festivals, as well as on outdoor, print, and digital media platforms. 

Image credit: Ifebusola Shotunde