Nifemi Marcus-Bello

Nifemi Marcus-Bello is a Lagos-based designer whose practice bridges commercial and artistic disciplines. Working across furniture, product design, installations, and research-driven projects, his work explores how objects can reveal the social, cultural, and economic systems that shape everyday life. Guided by a philosophy that values intuition, resourcefulness, and deep engagement with context, Nifemi approaches design as both a tool for inquiry and a medium for storytelling.

Central to his practice is an ongoing exploration of materials and production methods. Through a process rooted in observation, experimentation, and collaboration with local industries and craftspeople, he investigates how materials can be pushed beyond their expected uses to produce new forms and typologies. This approach allows him to create distinctive products and spatial experiences while reflecting on broader themes of manufacturing, labor, infrastructure, and global exchange.

Operating between critical research and applied design, Nifemi’s work often examines the invisible systems behind objects; how they are made, distributed, and consumed. By foregrounding these processes, he invites audiences to reconsider the histories, networks, and human relationships embedded within everyday materials and products.

His work and design contributions are held in the collections of major institutions including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the Brooklyn Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Design Museum London, among others.

Nifemi is the recipient of several international honors, including a Special Mention at the Loewe Craft Prize, the Hublot Design Prize, Monocle’s Emerging Designer Award, and he was shortlisted for the Wallpaper* Designer of the Year Award in 2026.