Feeling the Blues

If you find yourself struggling with the intimidating, overly curated art exhibitions of late, then London-based artist Barbara Ayozie Fu Safira has created the perfect antidote. In a return to the spirit of the 1920s soirée, Barbara opted to launch and house Blue Prayers, her new collection of paintings and photography, at the home of friend and interior designer Haley Lavin McLane. 

The setting calls to a time when salons hosted in the domestic abode of patrons or creatives were meant to spark heated debate, passionate conversation, and new ideas. Barbara looks to re-ignite this collective creativity by getting her viewers to experience art in a private space, at its most immediate and unfiltered.

Blue Prayers is where Barbara’s practice explores an emotional landscape, setting aside aesthetic decision. Much as Rothko and Yves Klein found depth and diversity in the palette of blue, Barbara aims for her pieces to serve as an ancestral echo, spiritual companion, and vessel for both solitude and strength. Blue Prayers focuses on tensions: longing versus acceptance, loneliness versus grace, and ancestral memory versus present-day vulnerability. In her own words, Blue Prayers helped Barbara to navigate these tensions and internal self-conflict - “every piece is a conversation with myself, my roots, and the unseen forces that keep me moving”. 

Barbara’s artistic practice is influenced by her dual Italian-Nigerian lineage and her immersion in both Paris’ romanticism and London’s raw creativity. Her unique practice and singular style merge fashion, portraiture, and fine art, rooted in a deep sense of backstory. 

Book your appointment to visit Blue Prayers while it’s still on this month.