Nifemi Marcus-Bello
Designer
Nifemi Marcus-Bello (b. 1988) is a Lagos, Nigeria-based designer. Recognized for his community-oriented, ethnographic approach to design and its adjacencies, Marcus-Bello exploits material constraints in pursuit of new forms. His interest in manufacturing scales, production availability, and design anthropology have led to accolades from Hublot / LVMH, who awarded Marcus-Bello the prestigious Hublot Design Prize in 2022. That same year, Marcus-Bello’s LM Stool was acquired by the Design Museum, London. In 2023, his Friction Ridge Bench was acquired by The Art Institute of Chicago. At Design Miami/ 2023, he was awarded the Curators Choice: Design for Good Award.
Exhibited at DESIGN MIAMI. 2023 Design Miami/ 2023 curatorial director Anna Carnick invited Nigerian designer Nifemi Marcus-Bello to create a special work in response to this year’s curatorial theme, Where We Stand. Marcus-Bello’s resulting piece, Omi Iyọ (meaning salt water in Yoruba), calls attention to the journeys of undocumented migrants from Africa to Europe. Salt flows from the hull-shaped mirror, serving as a poetic marker honoring the very real human toll of this crisis and offering a literal moment of reflection for fair visitors. This work was presented alongside the Design Miami/ 2023 fair’s curatorial statement.
