Aisha Seriki
FOUNDER OF OCCUPIED BY THE LENSE
I am a Nigerian, London-based creative specialising in portrait and fashion photography. When I was 8 years old my family left South East Asia for the UK and I have been living in South London ever since. My interest in photography comes from my father’s obsession with documenting all of my significant childhood events.
My love for photography grew while I was working towards my Photography A-Level exam and I graduated from SOAS in a BA in Global Liberal Arts earlier this year. My main influences are other creatives, including photographers Adrienne Raquel, Solmaz Saberi, and Nadine Ijewere. I focus a lot of my work on prevalent, global social issues.
FEATURED PRODUCT
Heaven is not closed.
I created Occupied By The Lense in 2017, and I specialise in fashion and portrait photography. I am also available as a photographer for celebrations and events – you can contact me to book.
Some of my most recent work includes the portrait series ‘Heaven Is Not Closed’, inspired by the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. I felt that while the paintings there were outstanding and undeniably beautiful, the clear absence of black people in the paintings was hard to ignore. I wanted black women to be portrayed in a powerful way and I took visual inspiration from the works of Harmonia Rosales and her exhibition ‘New World Consciousness.’ One of my shots from the ‘Heaven Is Not Closed’ series is available to buy on our shop page.
