My work is rooted in the desire to be seen, in all our contradictions, softness, and defiance. With Wild Wild FCT, I celebrate fashion as freedom: how we show up, dress up, and declare ourselves in public. For many of us, style is a quiet protest, a loud joy, a coded language. This series honors that. Whether through portraiture, archival play, or digital layering, my practice is about reclaiming space and telling stories that might otherwise be forgotten.
Adanna Eleje is a Nigerian artist whose work explores the intersections of queerness, faith, and cultural memory through photography, mixed media, and digital experimentation. Having lived in four different countries, Adanna brings a diasporic and deeply personal lens to their storytelling, blending tradition with futurism. Their work reclaims space for African and queer identities, often through vintage aesthetics, archival inspiration, and contemporary digital tools. Key projects include The Root of What Is to Become, which reimagines queer African heritage through historical portraiture and AI, IHUNANYA '24, a celebration of Igbo cultural pride and visibility, and Let the Kids Play, a joyful beachside portrait series honoring childhood freedom in Eastern Nigeria. In 2025, Adanna presented Digital Erasure, a creative pitch exploring identity, AI, and the impact of digital visibility on marginalized communities. Adanna is equally rooted in tech, where they work professionally, and their dual background enables a hybrid approach to image-making and blending structure with softness, clarity with abstraction. Their practice exists in liminal spaces, where queerness, spirituality, and cultural tradition converge. Through each image and installation, Adanna aims to reclaim joy, challenge silence, and honor the fullness of Black, queer life.
Instagram - @adannaa.e
website: https://www.shotbyada.org
