Elfreda Dali (b. 1995) is a London-based multidisciplinary artist working across figurative textile art, wearable forms and diasporic storytelling. Having grown up between London and Lagos, she believes cloth can hold memory, preserve identity and help us navigate histories. Her practice began in couture and has moved from the body onto the wall through tapestry techniques, with leather as her core medium. It now extends into textile paintings, sculpture and installation that map the tension between physical and virtual migration, often echoing aerial landscapes photographed as she flies between cities. Sustainability is central to her work. She repurposes fashion and art waste from her studio and runs workshops and art salons that invite communities to make, share and keep craft traditions alive.
Group exhibitions include Ten Thousand Hours, Creative Debuts, London, UK (2026); The One Thousand, South Side Gallery, Richmond, US (2026); Design Week Lagos, Lagos, Nigeria (2026); Softness as Strength, Lofty Spot / Area Noir, London, UK (2025); Special Projects, Piece Unique agency, 1-54 Art Fair, London, UK (2024); Matters of Essence II, KO Art Space, Lagos, Nigeria (2024); London Design Week, London, UK (2024); Pathways, St Art Gallery, London, UK (2024); BBR, Somerset House, London, UK (2024); Contact Zone, Piece Unique agency, Cromwell Place, London, UK (2024); Shifting Shadows, Rele Gallery, Los Angeles, US (2024); Tokunbo, Rele Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria (2023); Sustainability Spotlight, Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK (2022); The Erudite, Alliance Française Gallery, Lagos, Nigeria (2021); Not All Who Wander Are Lost, Royal Albert Hall, London, UK (2019) and Meltdown, South Bank Centre, London, UK (2017).
Highlights and Collections
In 2025 Elfreda Dali won the Chizi Wigwe Art Prize and received the Creative Impact Award from The BGI. In 2024 she was runner up for the Tilga Art Award and she was named Rele Young Contemporary Artist in 2023. She was also included in Arise 30 Under 30 in 2020. Her residencies include Pullman Yard, Atlanta (2026), The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts x 1952 Africa, New York (2025) and Somerset House Creative Entrepreneur Residency, London (2023). She has been commissioned by Adidas (2024) and All Saint’s Church Haggerston (2026), and her work has been featured in publications including the Financial Times, The Guardian, Wallpaper Magazine and Artnet.