Oladélé Bamgboyé was born in Odo-Eku, Nigeria on 15 October 1963. He moved with his family to Glasgow, Scotland in 1975, where he studied chemical engineering at Strathclyde University (1981–85). He later completed an MA in Media, Fine Art, Theory and Practice at the Slade School of Fine Art, London (1996–8). His practice, encompassing a variety of media including traditional photography and video, is concerned with the embodiment of diaspora, racial stereotypes, deconstruction of anthropological myths and geography of the body, drawing inspiration from the history of African studio-portrait photography.

Listen to his story here or read the full biography on the BURU database: https://www.buru.org.uk/contributor/oladele-bamgboye

Nengi Omuku was born in Warri, Nigeria in 1987, spending her teenage years there until she was 16, after which she moved to England for her A-levels. She trained in fine art at the Slade School of Fine Art in London, graduating in 2012. Omuku's paintings ddelve deeply into themes of gender, cultural roots, and race, with an emphasis on the mental and emotional spaces within an individual and their projection onto the physical world. Intrigued by Nigeria's pre-colonial understanding of dress, Omuku paints on 'sanyan', a traditional Nigerian fabric made from wild silk and used for draped garments.

Listen to her story here or read the full biography on the BURU database: https://www.buru.org.uk/contributor/nengi-omuku-

Michael Armitage was born in Nairobi, Kenya in 1984, to a Yorkshireman father and Kikuyu mother, and spent his childhood in East Africa before moving to London in 2000 to study at the Slade School of Fine Art and Royal Academy Schools. Now exhibited internationally and represented by White Cube, he is primarily known for his large-scale figurative works painted on traditional Ugandan lubugo cloth. Although Armitage’s images are deeply rooted in East African culture and folklore, they nevertheless continue to reference the great traditions of European painting.

Listen to his story here or read the full biography on the BURU database: https://www.buru.org.uk/contributor/michael-armitage

Juginder Lamba was born in Nairobi, British Kenya (now Kenya) in 1948. His family moved to England in 1962, after a period in India. In the UK Lamba, a self-taught artist, eventually became involved in arts education initiatives nationally, exhibited his sculpture widely and has participated in several notable survey exhibitions.

Listen to his story here or read the full biography on the BURU database: https://www.buru.org.uk/contributor/juginder-lamba

Frank Avray Wilson was born in Vacoas, Mauritius in 1914 to parents of Anglo-Irish and French descent. He attended prep school in England, where he remained for the rest of his life. Abstract Expressionism and Tachisme heavily influenced his work and he participated in the landmark 'Metavisual, Tachiste, Abstract' exhibition at the Redfern Gallery (1957). During the following decades Avray Wilson held twelve solo exhibitions in galleries across London, Paris and Brussels, though he partially retired from the commercial art world after the death of his young son in 1967.

Listen to his story here or read the full biography on the BURU database: https://www.buru.org.uk/contributor/frank-avray-wilson

Evan Ifekoya was born in Iperu, Nigeria in 1988, earning a BA in Fine Art New Media from Winchester School of Art, University of Southampton (2010), followed by an MA in Contemporary Art Practice from the Royal College of Art (2017). Identifying as 'they', Ifekoya examines the politics of culture, society, and aesthetics through various media, including sound, text, video, and performance, spotlighting marginalised voices, challenging dominant power structures, and exploring Black queer histories. Their work often interlaces personal experiences with broader cultural narratives, shedding light on issues such as gender dynamics, racial identities, and technological influences in modern life. Ifekoya's art bridges the past with the present, emphasising the significance of shared experiences and histories.

Listen to his story here or read the full biography on the BURU database: https://www.buru.org.uk/contributor/evan-ifekoya-

Daniel Gbenga Orimoloye was born in Lagos, Nigeria in 1966, where he studied and taught painting before immigrating to London with his wife in 1997. Working primarily as a painter, his figurative works of landscapes and human figures explore the transient nature of life and the world.

Listen to his story here or read the full biography on the BURU database: https://www.buru.org.uk/contributor/daniel-gbenga-orimoloye

Catherine Anyango Grünewald was born in Nairobi, Kenya into a family of Kenyan and Swedish descent in 1982. She studied Graphic Design and Illustration at Central Saint Martins (2001–4) and Visual Communication at the Royal College of Art (2004–6) in London, where she also taught Visual Research between 2006 and 2016. Grünewald's is best known for her drawings examining how emotional and intangible experiences can disrupt physical or domestic spaces. She is also inspired by the aftermath of crimes and the victim's right to a dignified 'last image.' Grünewald’s adaptation of Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness" into a graphic novel (2010) was awarded the Observer’s Graphic Novel of the Month.

Listen to her story here or read the full biography on the BURU database: https://www.buru.org.uk/contributor/catherine-anyango-grunewald

Bhajan Hunjan was born to Indian parents in Nanyuki, British Kenya (now Kenya) in 1956. After arriving to England in 1975 to study Fine Art at the University of Reading, Hunjan both showed at and curated exhibitions, becoming a pioneering advocate for Asian women artists in Britain through the Panchayat collective.

Listen to his story here or read the full biography on the BURU database: https://www.buru.org.uk/contributor/bhajan-hunjan

Amanda Holiday was born in Sierra Leone on 28 March 1964 and moved to England aged five, where she was brought up in Wigan. A graduate from Wimbledon School of Art (1987), Holiday is best known for her large-scale, figurative, mixed-media drawings, exemplified by her series 'The Hum of History', a cyclical story about aspirations in the 1980s, realised in charcoal and chalk. An active member within the Black Arts Movement in the 1980s, Holiday has participated in major exhibitions championing the work of diaspora artists.

Listen to her story here or read the full biography on the BURU database: https://www.buru.org.uk/contributor/amanda-holiday