As temperatures drop and the days grow shorter, immersing oneself in art can offer the quiet refuge—an invitation to escape the chill and engage with something deeply personal and transformative. Yemisi Wilson’s solo exhibition at Southnord provides just that—a healing exploration of identity and heritage through the delicate and powerful medium of stone sculpture.
Yemisi’s work is a poignant tribute to her grandmothers, Ebunola and Anna, two women who lived vastly different lives—one in Nigeria and the other in Sweden—but are forever connected through their family’s lineage. The eleven sculptures, carved from alabaster, black granite, and diabase, reflect this cultural duality, as well as Yemisi’s intimate exploration of identity.
The sculptures speak to a kind of quiet reverence—each piece feels like a meditation on lineage and belonging. The delicate contours of alabaster in Mormor Anna, Grandma Ebunola and Yemisi contrast with the imposing strength of black granite and diabase used in Oluyemisi and Young Ebunola , symbolizing the balance between the different cultural influences that shape Yemisi’s identity. And though her grandmothers never met, Yemisi’s art creates a bridge between them, through forms that capture both fragility and strength.
Alongside the exhibition, Yemisi and the Southnord team hosted a sold-out alabaster workshop that offered participants an immersive day of sculpting. There was a kind of magic in the air as people shaped masks, flowers inspired by Matisse, and other forms—each creation a small reflection of the participants’ inner sculptors. The experience was so well-received that Southnord is hosting another, albeit shorter, session on 24th October 2024. Think of it as a post-workday unwind, but with stone and sculpting tools.
This exhibition, held during Black History Month and Afrosvensk Historievecka (Afro-Swedish History Week), doesn’t just commemorate the lives of two grandmothers. It reflects the wider conversation about heritage, belonging, and the delicate art of holding onto one’s roots while navigating life in a world shaped by displacement and distance. As Marcia Harvey Isaksson, founder of Southnord, said, “Yemisi’s work speaks to the journey of reconciling who we are with where we come from.”
If you haven’t yet, there’s still time to experience Yemisi’s work before the exhibition closes on 25th October 2026. You can also book a spot in the next workshop, but with only two hours to sculpt, those spaces will fill up fast. It’s a chance to reconnect with creativity in a setting as thoughtful and layered as Yemisi’s own journey.
