My name is Ayebabeledaipre Sokari, I’m a visual artist and designer. And a graduate MA in Visual Communication from Teesside University.
I want to start by expressing my profound gratitude to the MIMA Great Create Competition organisers of 2023. I had an awesome experience, from the competition’s start to the award ceremony’s grand finale. It was a practical experience to engage in and I learned a lot, about my skills as an illustrator, myself as a creative, and my ability to interpret my thoughts and emotions through art and design. The platform gives a voice that I believe is inclusive, no matter the race and gender. Also, making it to the top five finalists credits the competition as unbiased and welcoming to the international community in the city. I got the opportunity to relate with and learn from artists within the community too through their works.
My artwork was inspired by the book I designed for the award-winning author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, titled “Notes on Greif” in 2022. The title of my entry was “A Moment In-between”, revealing the scene in the book that portrays the author writing down her thoughts in phases. It hopes to capture the desolate moment of her pouring out all she felt about the death of her late father. The window represents a reflection of the past and present where she stays in between thoughts. “Grief is forcing new skins on me, scraping scales from my eyes…. I cage my thoughts; I torque my mind firmly to its shallow surface alone. I am unable to quiet myself until I look away.” She speaks.
I felt honoured that the amazing judges were able to see my efforts in representing this piece. I encourage anyone, student, and nonstudent alike to take a leap of faith and plunge into the MIMA Great Create future competitions, you never know where the road might take you.
You can find out more about The MIMA Great Create 2024 here.
