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Iya Ati Omo

Yinka Ilori British-Nigerian
2016
On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 508
The London-based designer Ilori creates furniture that is both functional and capable of telling stories. For a 2016 project entitled A Swimming Pool of Dreams, he refurbished a suite of six found chairs to embody the hopes and dreams of the congregants who traveled with him and his family on trips to the Margate seaside, which were organized by the church of his Nigerian-immigrant parents. Among this close-knit group was an auntie who deeply longed for children; her wish is captured by this seat. The beautiful and brightly patterned wing hinged to the side symbolizes both her desire to add to her family and its fruition.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Iya Ati Omo
  • Artist: Yinka Ilori (British-Nigerian, born London, 1987)
  • Date: 2016
  • Medium: Beech wood, enamel paint, brass, and cotton
  • Dimensions: 31 1/4 × 17 11/16 × 18 3/4 in. (79.4 × 44.9 × 50.2 cm)
    Width with panel open: 25 in. (63.5 cm)
  • Classification: Furniture
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 2021
  • Object Number: 2021.270
  • Rights and Reproduction: © Yonka Ilori
  • Curatorial Department: Modern and Contemporary Art

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