Krio Collective: Usai Wi De is the first public exhibition presented by Krio Collective, founded by Habib Hajallie to bring together British-Sierra Leonean creatives making work shaped by Sierra Leonean heritage, Britishness and identity. Supported by Arts Council England, the exhibition presents work by Amanda Holiday, Abu B Yillah, Koehun Aziz-Kamara, Habib Hajallie and Hadiru Mahdi, known as Brother Portrait. Working in visual art, poetry, photography, film, performance an

A Refuge Among Reflections (2026) Ballpoint pen on collaged pages from Death (1911) by Maurice Maeterlinck 59 x 84 cm In A Refuge Among Reflections, I draw myself seated on the floor, surrounded by pages from Maurice Maeterlinck’s Death. Behind the figure, a door remains open. At once, it suggests passage and absence, a threshold that can be seen but is unreachable. The selected collaged pages are concerned with existential questions and prose regarding death, consciousness a

Krio Collective is formed of five British-Sierra Leonean creatives; Abu Yillah, Amanda Holiday, Koehun Aziz-Kamara, Hadiru Mahdi and me, Habib Hajallie. Working across visual art, poetry, photography and film, Krio Collective looks to amplify the visibility of Sierra Leonean contemporary practice and establish a foundation for sustained artistic discourse & support. The Collective began in early 2025 following an open call for Sierra Leonean creatives in the UK. The initial p

This body of work, titled ‘Black & Blue’, is shaped by grief, trauma and loss. Across the series, I use self-portraiture to visualise nuanced and often indescribable emotional states that sit beneath language; disorientation, dread, absence, and the destabilising process of trying to rebuild meaning. The blue ballpoint pen drawings were started after the devastating stillbirth of my daughter, Sadie. These works offer a raw and unfiltered glimpse into the most painful time in

Meeting Sir Frank Bowling On 15 January 2026 I had the incredible privilege of meeting Sir Frank Bowling at his studio in London. On the train there I felt strangely emotional. I was nervous but excited at the same time, giddy almost. It felt surreal knowing I was about to meet someone so important to British Art, whom I’ve admired for many years. When I arrived, Frank’s son Ben came to meet me upstairs in the office and walked me down to the studio. Ben is a retired crim

Reality is Beyond My Grasp (2025) Ballpoint pen on collaged pages from ‘The Philosophy of the Good Life’ (1935) by Charles Gore. 30X42cm. This self-portrait is the first artwork I created following the devastating stillbirth of my daughter Sadie, born full term on 18 May 2025. This work forms part of a series exploring the unspoken and unspeakable feelings that arise whilst grieving, a raw and unfiltered glimpse. Each drawing is a self-portrait encapsulating the array of emot

It’s 10 years to the day since my first ever exhibition as a fresh faced and naive 19 year old first year student.

I am looking for four UK-based creatives of Sierra Leonean heritage to be a part of Krio Collective...

This ballpoint pen surrealist self portrait is part of 'The Regime’ series, which was inspired by renowned photographer, Stephan...

With support from Arts Council England, I am offering a paid exhibition and mentorship opportunity to 4 ambitious emerging artists from...