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Tolúwalọpẹ́ Eluṣadé is an emerging, London-based photographer working exclusively with analogue film to document her life and Black British culture, centering women and the queer community. Here, Autograph presents a selection of Eluṣadé’s work in a photo essay with commentary from the artist.
Eluṣadé speaks candidly about the role photography has played in their life: “Photography provides me with so many tools: as someone with ADHD it helps me stay grounded and focused, while my archive provides an anchor from dissociation. My art is a vehicle through which to meet and deeply connect with people in my community; Black women are key figures in my work, they are my sisters, my lovers - seeing them in public life helps me to see myself."
This photo essay was commissioned to sit alongside – and in dialogue with – Autograph’s current exhibition Eileen Perrier: A Thousand Small Stories.
On 26 August 2022, 5,000 people gathered at the V&A – the world's largest museum of art and design – to celebrate the innovation of Black culture alongside the Africa Fashion exhibition. Elsie Ayotunde-Cullen, founder of OurPpls, curated a night of eccentric expression, entertainment and energetic engagement that reflected the diversity of African people and fashion, and fostered a deep sense of Black joy. Collaboration birthed an evening of community, creativity and education, that explored contemporary notions of diaspora and what it means to connect to our heritage.
‘Fresh off the Boat’ or ‘freshie’ is a derogatory term from the early 2000s used to describe an immigrant who hasn't yet grasped the customs, language or culture of the country they're immigrating to. Filmmaker Oreoluwa Johnson’s debut short film You’re a FOB, captures the beauty of Nigerian culture and juxtaposes it against the stark landscape of inner city London. Making these images was intended to represent the richness and duality of my identities and what it means to exist as a Yoruba Londoner in the 2020-somethings.
Beloved Babes takes inspiration from Dante Gabriel Rossetti's painting The Beloved ('The Bride') which is part of Tate’s collection, and which features in the large-scale mural at Pimlico Station, near Tate Britain. However the mural crops out the only Black person featured in the image from the frame, which stirred powerful emotions in me and troubled my concerns for inclusivity and representation.
This photographic series was intended to be an act of reparation and sought to showcase the beauty and resilience in Blackness, particularly honouring the Black sitter excluded from the mural display. I reference the painting by using the same colour palette, with emphasis on a blend of earthy tones in the set design. Paying homage to the young Black women who are excluded from global narratives, this collection of images serves as a cultural response, symbolising opulence, respect and sophistication.
Adire Nights is a queer Afrobeats night founded by Kemi Moradeo, born to honour the intersections of queerness and Africanness within the context of London nightlife. There’s a particular power to the night and the community who gather for it, given that it’s illegal to be gay in Nigeria and other African countries. Adire Nights transmutes oppression into joy and cultivates freedom, acts of resistance and solidarity. These portraits are made in collaboration with the attendees who deserve to know that they are worthy of being documented and remembered.
Tolúwalọpẹ́ Eluṣadé (b. 2001, London) is an analogue photographer. They aim to document, archive and preserve imagery that places herself within the world around her. Their work results from the desire to immortalise and emulate the beauty they see. At the heart of her practice, Eluṣadé connects intergenerational communities with art as activism, preserving tangible histories through authentic creation. Clients and commissions include work with Tate, Netflix, Adidas and V&A amongst others.
Banner image: Tolúwalọpẹ́ Eluṣadé, from the series Adire Nights [detail], 2025.© and courtesy the artist.
All images on page © and courtesy Tolúwalọpẹ́ Eluṣadé.
Autograph is a place to see things differently. Since 1988, we have championed photography that explores issues of race, identity, representation, human rights and social justice, sharing how photographs reflect lived experiences and shape our understanding of ourselves and others.
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