Nifemi Marcus-Bello (b.1989, Laos), is a Nigerian-based industrial designer and leading figure in the redefinition of African contemporary design. Marcus-Bello obtained a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in product design from the University of Leeds’ School of Mechanical Engineering (United Kingdom) and won the “Potential for Social Change” award with his Final Year degree show. Known for his commitment to an ethnographic-conscious and community-led approach, Marcus-Bello is also the lead researcher for Africa-A Design Utopia (a design competition that encourages students from Ghana and Nigeria to think about design from a contextual approach). After graduating in 2013, he worked for several companies before moving back to his home country, where he founded the NMBello Studio. Focusing on the creation of furniture, product and installation design, the studio produces unique pieces that are always in dialogue with the history and the local resources of the continent. Since its foundation, Marcus-Bello has exhibited in Los Angeles (Marta Gallery, 2018), and participated in the 2018 Venice Design Biennale and the 2017 London Design Fair. He was also the winner of the Wallpaper Design Award in 2021 and has recently been awarded the Hublot Design Prize (2022).
