Ade Abayomi Olufeko[a] (born 1980), is an American-born designer and technologist primarily active in Lagos, Nigeria. He is the founder of Visual Collaborative, an American platform collaborating with diverse experts on socio-economics.
Early life and education
Ade Olufeko was born in Minneapolis. He hails from Ijebu lineage; both his parents were entrepreneurs. He spent his childhood in Lagos, Nigeria, specifically in Surulere, a mainland city, during the country's Second Republic. He received his primary education at Unilag Staff School and later attended St. Gregory's College in Obalende for his secondary education.[1]
In the mid-1990s, he returned to Minneapolis for further studies at Camden. He attended Metropolitan State University in Saint Paul, where he pursued studies in Computer Science with a focus on multimedia technologies.[citation needed]
Career
Work as technologist, IBM and Visual Collaborative
In 2007, Olufeko established Visual Collaborative. Since its inception, he has teamed up with more than 150 artists from different cities showcasing their talents.[2]
In 2015, he returned to oversee and curate the platform.[3]
Art
Style and selected works
Wax print designed by Ade Olufeko
Self-taught as a digital painter and in mixed-media artistry, Olufeko's creative process as an avocation evolved over a decade. His exhibited work explores Africanfuturism, experimental Chaos theory and Counterculture.[4]
Ayo Mancala
In 2021, Olufeko created and introduced the wax print version of the indigenous AYO mancala in Ankara to enter the consumer market with 200 units. The response and reviews were well-covered in local media. In the third quarter of the year, he released the Kente and Adire product lines which drew considerable interest outside Nigeria across west Africa and its diaspora.[5] According to audited data, sales of locally made units exceeded 5,000.[6] During the capital flight in the nation and following a fire outbreak in one of the largest wood communities, part of the sales helped feed numerous artisans and their families.[7][8]
