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Illustration for Bon Appétit’s inaugural Pride package, “Food Is Queer”.

As quoted from Bon Appétit Mag:

“Featuring 16 beautiful and thought-provoking articles and essays (plus 5 incredible recipes), “Food Is Queer” was written, edited, illustrated, and photographed by and for queer and trans people. To share some words from our thesis statement, “the LGBTQ+ community has always played a role in shaping how we eat and cook. But after generations of being silenced or forced to ‘tone it down,’ queer people today are claiming their power through food like never before.” In a world (and an industry) that often treats queer people as an afterthought, we are incredibly proud and extremely honoured to be publishing such a comprehensive package that is pushing queer and trans stories in food to the forefront.”

This is an illustration for a beautiful piece written by @joe_lamour on the word “fruit” and all its meanings, which you can now read on the Bon Appétit website. Special thanks to @hilarycadigan, @e_zar, @chala.gram and the whole BA team.

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The World Today Magazine

My cover for the August - September issue of Chatham House Organisation’s “The World Today magazine”, for a special All Africa-related edition.

In this issue, the following articles: “The state of African Democracy”, “Africa’s aerospace industry”, “Global audiences are tuning into African culture”, “China must help the African continent climb out of its debt trap”.

All this and much more via The Chatham House. Available online and in print. Special thanks to Alexander Cobb and Roxanne Escobales.

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            “Metamorphosis”: For Grain Photo Hub

Grain Photo Hub granted me a bursary to create a new series. For this opportunity I created a series of self-portraits as photo collages that are about self-identity and intimacy. My photo collage series is essentially on the topic of loss and grief, and is deeply personal: It is about the challenges that remain post cancer treatment during lockdown, and revolve around themes of femininity, sexuality and body ownership as a black woman and cancer survivor, using stereotypically Western symbols for femininity, such as the Venus european . Through my “Metamorphosis” series, I explore the death and rebirth I experienced through loss of my pre-cancer life, and fertility.

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                Illustration for Penguin Random House: 

     How to fall  in love again after learning to be happy                                                          alone

Editorial illustration for Penguin Random House: Author Megan Nolan’s bestselling novel Acts of Desperation was, in part, an exercise in putting the romantic co-dependence of her twenties behind her – so when she fell in love again, she feared it would “compromise her power.” How does one learn to allow others back in?

Full Article

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         “You start to wonder, are they investigating?”                                     For The Guardian

“You start to wonder, are they investigating?” is an incredible piece written by Anna Moore which speaks about the shocking experiences of rape survivors waiting 1,000 days for prosecution amidst court closures, defunded legal aid and barrister shortages that are adding to an already excruciating ordeal.⁠ A time in which survivors are unable to move on with their lives. Special thanks to Sarah Habershon, Christophe Gowans and Homa Khaleeli.

Full Article Here

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      “HOW DEPRESSION RUINED RELATIONSHIP WITH SLEEP”, 

                            FOR WELLCOME COLLECTION

Editorial Illustration for “How depression ruined my relationship with sleep” by Lauren Gee. In the piece, Lauren explores her experiences of living with depression and how this impacted her relationship with sleep. She explores how sleep became a form of protective withdrawal from the world outside, and how oversleeping is negatively perceived by a society which places importance on productivity.  Full Article here.

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                 Illustrations for The Marshall Project: 

                       On Racism and Police Brutality

Various black & white Illustrations and gifs for the Marshall Project, illustrating victim accounts of police brutality and racism in the U.S.A.:

Article 1: Police Hurt Thousands of Teens Every Year. A Striking Number Are Black Girls.

Article 2: She Was Having a Seizure. Police Shocked Her With a Taser.

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                       LIVING IN A WOMAN’S BODY

Cover and spread for the Guardian’s Guardian G2 magazine: “Living in a woman’s body - stories of strength, pleasure and pain”: A special issue, compiled by The Vagina Monologues playwright and activist V (formerly Eve Ensler) about the pleasure, pain and power of life as a woman. 

Featuring wonderful words from Nazia (real name withdrawn), Guardian columnist and author Frances Ryan, actor and screenwriter Emma Thompson, Guardian chief theatre critic Arifa Akbar, activist, politician and founder and director of TNI Agnes Pareyio, comedian, actor and writer Jessica Fostekew, research professor, founder of the Miss Foundation and author Joanne Cacciatore, writer and activist Juno Dawson, social activist and human rights campaigner Shabnam Hashmi, dancer, choreographer and co-founder of MOVENYC Chanel Da Silva, actor, writer and poet Lebogang Mashile, writer and activist Terry Tempest Williams, author Laura Pearson, actor and activist Monique Wilson, and political activist Judith Clark.

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Made the festival design for last year’s Fringe Film Festival, featuring an illustrated image of 6 queer faces:They look out in a range of expressions: proud, brave, thoughtful, cheeky, curious. They have a range of hairstyles and looks and indeterminate gender and ethnicity. They are loosely based on the previous festival images of faces of people in the community that were superimposed on top of one another.

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Work for BMG inspired by the music of Buena Vista Social Club, who are celebrating 25 years of the album that shares their name. It was recorded in Havana in 1996 in just 7 days, and has stood the test of time.

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What a pleasure it was making these illustrations for this new @wetransfer’s @wepresent article entitled: “The Last Song: How does a DJ decide which track will close out their set?” I love going on @wepresent and put it on my bucket list last year, and not to mention I absolutely love all genres of music… some of these DJs I have been listening to for ages, so this was a real treat. Featuring illustrations of some cool nightlife stories from @gillespeterson , @officialkrystalklear, @iamshiba, @maiafelipe, and other non-illustrated stories from @colleencoleofficial, @solomun, @djholographic, and @__carista, as well as beautifully written by @alex.kahl: “If you’ve been to your fair share of festivals or club nights, chances are you’ll have a few standout memories of the last songs that were played at your favorite ones. From romantic ballads to disco anthems to Motown classics, the last tune ties the night together and leaves you with that lasting high. But how does a DJ harness the power that comes with being behind the decks in that all-important moment as the lights go up and we’re all ushered back into the real world? Alex Kahl asked 8 DJs and music experts what the last track means to them, and how they go about selecting the songs that send us home”. Special thanks to Alia Wilhelm @aliiiiia and Faye Quinn. Represented by @studiopi_uk. Read the article here.

By Ngadi Smart: Instagram

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Digital Poster for @amaka.studio’s “Négritude” - a new, monthly column written in both French and English on Francophone Africa, the Caribbean and the French-speaking Black African diaspora. Tune in each month as esteemed culture writer and Négritude columnist @shamirathefirst does a deep dive into all things Francophone— from pop culture to politics, music, current events, and beyond. Négritude pays homage to the 1930s Francophone Black power movement of the same name. The column reflects the political framework and perspective of the movement, and builds from and alongside its cannon of thinkers, cultural workers and revolutionaries. Represented by @studiopi_uk

By Ngadi Smart: Instagram

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Made some images, one of them to be sold as a poster for the Alice Made This Youth Programme @_amtyp @alicemadethis, a Community Interest Company supporting 16 - 18 year old black youth in South East London in getting work experience in the creative industries, as well as financial support to drive their creative passions. AMTYP aims to support London’s young, black creative community in gathering experience and developing a network. The programme will offer creative shadowing and will allow the participants to experience the breadth of skills and opportunities in SME's, as well as the variation of roles in the creative and retail sectors. The Alice Made This Youth Programme will commit time and energy to this project and drive their network to support, collaborate and evolve this into a bigger and bolder programme. My concept for the piece was of a creativity spark contrasted with the silhouettes of young Black people to express their freedom to create. A poster will be available for sale via the Alice Made This website, with a portion of the proceeds going to the programme. Special thanks to Alice Walsh @alicelikesthis. Represented by @studiopi_uk

By Ngadi Smart: Instagram

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By Ngadi Smart: Instagram

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    New Editorial work for Four Seasons Magazine:

STORY 1: CATCHING OUR REFLECTIONS: Mirrors show us how we appear to the world, but sometimes we can be caught off guard by what we see in them. Like the literal mirrors that show us only what’s on the surface, there are metaphorical mirrors all around us—labels, credentials and other people—measuring and reflecting parts of who we are. But they can never capture the whole truth. In this piece, the Nigeria-born, US-educated and Sweden-based author of the forthcoming novel In Every Mirror She’s Black will explore how we react to what we see in those literal and metaphorical mirrors and how we can learn to see that reflection, and ourselves, differently. By seeing ourselves more wholly, she says, we can learn to see others the same way, and find more points of connection to other people and cultures.

By Lola Akinmade Åkerström (National Geographic Traveler, BBC, The Guardian, Travel + Leisure, Travel Channel, Forbes, AFAR)

STORY 2: BRANCHING OUT, LOOKING IN: Travel teaches us about the heart—sometimes even beyond the sentimental sense. During his extended post-college time in Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, our author took a horseback trip through the roadless mountains that taught him how to navigate the watershed following the paths of its streams. Years later, in medical school, that experience helped him understand the movement of blood through the vessels of the cardiovascular system, enabling him to better diagnose and treat conditions like heart attacks and strokes. Expanding on this anecdote or a similar one from his forthcoming book, The Unseen Body, he’ll share how his travels to practise medicine in far-flung spots across the globe are about gaining new perspective, not only on everyday life, but also on the most everyday aspect of life, one that unites us all—our own bodies.

By internist and pediatrician Jon Reisman, M.D. (The New York Times, The Washington Post, Discover)

By Ngadi Smart: Instagram

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Jeffrey Boakye: Musical Truth: Musical Truth: A Musical        History of Modern Black Britain in 28 Songs

Illustrated the talented Jeffrey Boakye ‘s new book “Musical Truth: a historical Musical History of Modern Black Britain in 28 songs”,                              consisting of 224 pages, 30 b&w illustrations with some of my favourite artists I grew up listening to as a teen in the U.K, and published by Faber Children’s. I am so grateful to Jeffrey Boakye for writing this essential work, and the lovely team at Faber Children’s for picking me to illustrate it! This book beautifully tells of British Black history through a playlist of songs. Its audience might be specific to kids/teens, but it could be educational for adults as well. You can read and listen /watch along to the Musical Truth playlists set up on Spotify and YouTube. Jeffrey’s passion for Black Music and its history is undeniable. Music speaks to all of us, and each of these songs tell a story of being Black and British. As quoted by Waterstones : “Boakye’s captivating and deeply insightful book explores the key moments in Black history through 28 songs from ground-breaking musicians, from Lord Kitchener to Craig David, Neneh Cherry, Sade, Smiley Culture, Stormzy, Skunk Anansie, and many more, Boakye citing: “Music can carry the stories of history like a message in a bottle”. These groundbreaking musicians’ songs have changed the world. But how? This exhilarating playlist tracks some of the key shifts in modern British history, and explores the emotional impact of 28 songs and the artists who performed them. This book redefines British history, the Empire and postcolonialism, and will invite you to think again about the narratives and key moments in history that you have been taught up to now. Thrilling, urgent, entertaining and thought-provoking, this beautifully illustrated companion to modern black music is a revelation and a delight.” Available at all independent bookshops, Waterstones, and Amazon.

By Ngadi Smart: Instagram

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             Project Everyone: Goalkeepers (2021)

New work: This is an Illustration and quote of Racha Haffar, an award-winning women rights activist from Tunisia, and the founder and president of ‘Not 4 Trade,’ the first anti-human trafficking NGO in Tunisia. She is member of UN Women’s UN Women's Generation Equality Youth Task Force.

Goalkeepers ultimately sets out to inspire and incentivise a generation of thinkers and doers towards achieving the 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development. Another key element of Goalkeepers is the monthly community newsletter which Project Everyone produces, and for which this illustration was created for.

By Ngadi Smart: Instagram