Everything Is Connected

Light Work
  • 5.0 (13)
  • Society & Culture
  • Weekly

Light Work Presents: Everything Is Connected, created by Folasade Ologundudu is a podcast that shares the interesting and inspiring stories of artists, thought leaders, and critical thinkers on life, work, and a wide range of cultural and social topics. Through engaging content, Ologundudu seeks to inspire listeners to lead their best lives through the transformative power of art and culture. She dives into ideas on art and society across cultures with a focus on diverse communities worldwide. Guests include artists, curators, entrepreneurs, educators, and creatives who are changing the way we think about the art, creativity, and the world. 

  1. 3d ago

    Joke Amusan: in conversation with Folasade Ologundudu

    On this episode of Everything Is Connected, I speak with German-Nigerian artist Joke Amusan about the relationship between art, identity, migration, and the experiences of Black women. Reflecting on her childhood in Germany and England, Amusan shares how navigating predominantly white spaces shaped her understanding of belonging, and the importance of creating the representation she wished she had encountered growing up. At the heart of Amusan’s practice is hessian, a coarse, resilient fabric whose histories of cultivation, labor, and global movement have opened up questions around migration, colonialism, and the treatment of human lives as commodities. Amusan also reflects on her evolving relationship with her Nigerian heritage, the stories and traditions she hopes to carry forward, and She Stands Firm, the platform she founded to amplify the voices of women of color.  Together, Amusan and I consider what happens when individual stories are shared, how they become part of a wider collective, and why joy and vulnerability must exist alongside difficult histories. This conversation is an invitation to consider how the stories we tell can help us see one another differently, and how even the smallest thread can hold us together. --------------------------------- Follow & Subscribe  Subscribe on Substack Follow Light Work on Instagram Follow Folasade Ologundudu on Instagram YouTube - Subscribe to the Light Work YouTube Channel

    Joke Amusan: in conversation with Folasade Ologundudu

  2. Oct 22

    Samson Bakare: in conversation with Folasade Ologundudu

    On this episode, I’m joined by Samson Bakare, the Nigerian-born, UK-based artist, about the experiences, cultural references, and evolving questions that shape his multidisciplinary practice. Reflecting on his childhood in Lagos, Bakare traces his artistic imagination to his father’s architectural models, comic books, Nollywood films, and the vibrant cultural life of the city. These early influences continue to inform his approach to art, from his explorations of Black historical representation and Afro-classicism to his more recent turn toward abstraction as a fluid, open-ended language that invites interpretation. Together, we discuss the limits of representation, the art world’s shifting engagement with Black artists, and how living in London has deepened Bakare’s relationship to Nigeria and its cultural resources. The conversation also extends beyond the studio to questions of collecting, ownership, and who gets to shape the histories that future generations inherit. Reflecting on his participation in my (Re)Casting the Canon presentation at 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair in London, Bakare considers the importance of building stronger systems of support for artists on the continent and across the diaspora—including more artist residencies, meaningful arts education, and greater investment in African art and cultural infrastructure. At its heart, this episode asks how artists can move beyond responding to existing narratives to create new possibilities for how art, history, and cultural memory are understood. --------------------------------- Follow & Subscribe  Subscribe on Substack Follow Light Work on Instagram Follow Folasade Ologundudu on Instagram YouTube - Subscribe to the Light Work YouTube Channel

    Samson Bakare: in conversation with Folasade Ologundudu

  3. Oct 15

    Obida Obioha: in conversation with Folasade Ologundudu

    On this episode, I’m joined by Obida of O’DA Art Gallery as we discuss his philosophy as a gallerist and collector.  Before opening his gallery in 2020, Obida was a full-time interior designer whose work with clients increasingly put him in between design and art. What first began as collecting privately and sharing art works with his interior design clients turned into a full-scale gallery operating out of Lagos, Nigeria and in participating in global art fairs. Bringing emerging and established artis to new audiences, Obida shares his insights on building relationships over time through trust.  When it comes to the artists he works with, Obida looks for originality, conviction, and creativity. For 1-54, ODA presents “FROM STRUCTURE TO SENSATION” featuring Jonah Bulus, Deborah Segun, and Mobolaji Ogunrosoye, and he highlights 1-54’s role in positioning contemporary African art as simply great contemporary art. --------------------------------- Follow & Subscribe  Subscribe on Substack Follow Light Work on Instagram Follow Folasade Ologundudu on Instagram YouTube - Subscribe to the Light Work YouTube Channel

    Obida Obioha: in conversation with Folasade Ologundudu

  4. Oct 8

    Nancy Dantas: in conversation with Folasade Ologundudu

    In this episode, I speak with Nancy Dantas, curator and art historian, and this year's curator of the modern section at the 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair.  Dantas shares how her archival research led her to view curating as an act of "active listening," framed by Miriam Makeba’s song "West Wind." She delves into how African modernism challenges Eurocentric categories—drawing inspiration from the 1966 Dakar exhibition "Tendencies and Confrontations"—and emphasizes the importance of understanding modernism through African intellectual and aesthetic frameworks like Sankofa philosophy. This conversation is a reminder that many histories are available to us, just waiting to be discovered.  --------------------------------- Follow & Subscribe  Subscribe on Substack Follow Light Work on Instagram Follow Folasade Ologundudu on Instagram YouTube - Subscribe to the Light Work YouTube Channel

    Nancy Dantas: in conversation with Folasade Ologundudu

  5. Oct 1

    Touria El Glaoui: in conversation with Folasade Ologundudu

    On this episode, I’m joined by Touria El Glaoui as we discuss 1-54, the Contemporary African Art Fair she founded in 2013.  More than a decade later, Touria explains that she founded the fair in 2013 after seeing exceptional artists across Africa with little presence in Europe or the U.S., and after witnessing the structural hurdles her artist father faced getting institutional support abroad.  She argues the field has moved beyond needing to justify visibility—citing broad audiences and collectors—but now must prioritize permanence: institutional acquisitions, scholarship, archiving, education, curatorial and writing infrastructure, and estate protection so artists enter the canon.  This conversation reminds us that visibility doesn’t equal permanence.  --------------------------------- Follow & Subscribe  Subscribe on Substack Follow Light Work on Instagram Follow Folasade Ologundudu on Instagram YouTube - Subscribe to the Light Work YouTube Channel

    Touria El Glaoui: in conversation with Folasade Ologundudu

  6. Aug 19

    Zizipho Poswa: in conversation with Folasade Ologundudu

    On this episode, I’m joined by Zizipho Poswa as we discuss the themes, use of materials, and tenets that guide her work and practice as a visual artist and ceramist.  Zizipho discusses her first New York solo exhibition at Southern Guild, titled The Seed, which is called Imbewu in Xhosa, her native language. The show traces the last decade of her career and showcases five distinct bodies of work that reflect on where she’s been as an artist, her continuity and growth, and what lies ahead.  She shares her insights into the critical role women have played in her life, from her own family to the women in her community. Spanning several key components of women's lives, from traditional wedding ceremonies to hairstyles and the concept of mothers carrying children, Zizipho links her womanhood to her training in textiles, and later in clay. In her practice, she draws connections between ritual ceremonies and adornments to create monumental ceramic and bronze works.  This conversation is a tender and thoughtful reflection on the relationships between mothers and daughters, women working and living in community, and the nurturing environments that help creativity develop.  --------------------------------- Follow & Subscribe  Subscribe on Substack Follow Light Work on Instagram Follow Folasade Ologundudu on Instagram YouTube - Subscribe to the Light Work YouTube Channel

  7. Jul 8

    Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka: in conversation with Folasade Ologundudu

    On this episode I’m joined by Alexa Kumiko Hatanaka as we discuss her latest work on view in the 61st edition of the Venice Biennale.   Alexa is a Japanese-Canadian artist who brings together historical and sustainable craft technologies of her heritage, including hand-papermaking, natural dye, linocut, gyotaku (printing real fish), and washi (Japanese paper).  Her work, taking the form of sewn paper sculpture, large-scale print installation, collaborative performances and wearable washi, addresses contemporary questions of climate change and mental health, informed by a decade of community-engaged projects in Nunavut (high arctic) and lived experience with bipolar.  Our conversation is thoughtful, intimate, and expansive, centering on how art can create spaces for vulnerability, collective healing, and deeper ways of knowing.  --------------------------------- Follow & Subscribe  Subscribe on Substack Follow Light Work on Instagram Follow Folasade Ologundudu on Instagram YouTube - Subscribe to the Light Work YouTube Channel

  8. Jun 15

    Anina Major: in conversation with Folasade Ologundudu

    On this episode I’m joined by Anina Major. We discuss the themes of identity, migration, and memory present in her work. Discussing her latest works and the context of her practice, we explore the ongoing negotiation between self and place. Drawing from her upbringing in the Bahamas and her life in the United States, Major reflects on craft as a language of memory, the influence of familial knowledge, and the ways displacement can transform both identity and artistic expression.  Her latest exhibition, Tender Seedlings on view at Larkin Durey, is her first in London and explores how identity is formed through movement and transformation. Using the traditional weaving technique, plaiting, taught to her by her late grandmother, Major translates a fragile, portable craft into ceramic form, allowing inherited knowledge to migrate across materials, geographies and time.  Anina Major (she/her) is a visual artist from the Bahamas. Her decision to establish a home contrary to the location in which she was born and raised motivates her to investigate the relationship between self and place as a site of negotiation. By utilizing the vernacular of craft to reclaim experiences and relocate displaced objects, her practice exists at the intersection of nostalgia, and identity. --------------------------------- Follow & Subscribe  Subscribe on Substack Follow Light Work on Instagram Follow Folasade Ologundudu on Instagram YouTube - Subscribe to the Light Work YouTube Channel

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5
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Light Work Presents: Everything Is Connected, created by Folasade Ologundudu is a podcast that shares the interesting and inspiring stories of artists, thought leaders, and critical thinkers on life, work, and a wide range of cultural and social topics. Through engaging content, Ologundudu seeks to inspire listeners to lead their best lives through the transformative power of art and culture. She dives into ideas on art and society across cultures with a focus on diverse communities worldwide. Guests include artists, curators, entrepreneurs, educators, and creatives who are changing the way we think about the art, creativity, and the world. 

Information

  • Creator
    Light Work
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    124
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Everything Is Connected
  • Show Website
    Everything Is Connected

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