Ed Cross is excited to announce the representation of British-Nigerian artist Tiffany-Annabelle. Committed to celebrating womanhood as a space of what she refers to as 'radical optimism', she will soon feature in the gallery's participation at PLATFORM—the prestigious annual exhibition at London Art Fair curated this year by Dr Ferren Gipson.
Tiffany-Annabelle (b. 1989, London) is a British Nigerian artist who now divides her time between Lagos and London. After graduating with a UK Law Degree, and then working in magazine publishing in London, she developed a successful art career in Lagos during the pandemic. PLATFORM will be her first London exhibition and will feature new works from her acclaimed Women in Bloom Series. This follows on from her participation in the inaugural residency at El Anatsui Studio, Ghana (works from this will be showcased in London in 2026).
The Women in Bloom series takes inspiration from the vivid flora native to the artist's Itsekiri region, reflecting Tiffany-Annabelle's preoccupation with the importance of cultural celebration and continuity. By staging the female nude amongst lush arrangements, Tiffany-Annabelle constructs metaphors of identity and renewal. Each bloom carries layered symbolism: the vivacious hibiscus mirrors the resilience and the beauty of transformation, the poised African orchid embodies the quiet strength of women navigating their evolving selves and the fragrant frangipani speaks to the rooted perseverance of culture bolstered by the constant potential of rebirth.Nestling comfortably and securely within the foliage, screen-printed female figures are expressed in triangulated forms basking in nature or enmeshed with lovers. Through these images, made with oil pastel, charcoal and acrylic paint, she formulates visual love letters on the equally symbolic surfaces of brown postal paper and envelopes, celebrating the joy of femininity.
Tiffany-Annabelle's recent bodies of work have also been completed in sculpture and installation. Across these mediums, a consistent focus on nature moreover offers an urgent ecological commentary which intertwines with the feminist centre of her work. Whilst flowers bloom in her creations, in reality they are threatened by environmental degradation in the Niger Delta region. Through this disjunction, her work becomes a call to live in harmony with nature, a plea for justice guided by the pre-eminence of the maternal spirit. Viewers are reminded that both nature and culture are living forces that must be safeguarded and that our fate is intertwined with everything around us, socially and materially.
Recent solo exhibitions by Tiffany-Annabelle include Ebiren Oliuwa Prosi Prosi, AMG Projects, Lagos, Nigeria, April 2025, Women In Bloom, Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, Nigeria, May 2024, How She Brought The Good News, Nubuke Foundation and FrontBack, Accra, Ghana, April 2023, Behind The Coat, MILIKI, Lagos, Nigeria, October 2022 and MissAligned, No Parking Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria, October 2021. Recent group shows include The Vanguard, AMG Projects, Lagos, Nigeria, March 2024 and Eve, Gaia Africa, Lagos, Nigeria, February 2022.
