In the ever-expanding world of contemporary art, a new wave of Nigerian creatives is redefining what it means to tell stories through visual language. Among them is Elinth Arts, a Nigerian-born, UK-based visual artist whose work sits at the intersection of personal transformation, cultural identity, and mental health advocacy.

Olubunmi Elizabeth Ebisemiju
Known for her deeply emotive abstract and digital drawings, Olubunmi Elizabeth Ebisemiju has built a growing reputation for creating art that doesn’t just speak to the eye but reaches the heart. Her creative journey — shaped by a rich young creative arts background, abuse, motherhood, mental ill-health, and artistic rebirth — reflects a powerful narrative of resilience and becoming.

“I’ve learned that art has a way of holding the things we can’t put into words,” she says softly. “For me, drawing started as a job-aided skill as an unisex fashion designer in 2010, then it became survival in 2021 — an outlet when my life felt like it was breaking apart. But over time, it became more than personal healing; it became a way to connect with others who are silently navigating their own fragments.”

From Fashion Threads to Abstract Lines

At the age of 10, Olubunmi had begun to discover her multiple talents and was known to be both dexterous and creatively expressive. She took part in many social events—drama, dance, modelling, public speaking—and won several community awards for these feats. As a young adult, she held empowerment leadership roles across Province 12 of her church, Redeemed Christian Church of God, which is where she grew and gained exposure to discover her creative and leadership skills. Before becoming a visual artist, Olubunmi was widely known in Nigeria for her unisex fashion designs under her label Lizabeth Haute, which was established in 2010. For years, her custom pieces drew clients who celebrated her bold, versatile approach to style. But by 2021, life began to unravel in quiet, invisible ways.

The demands of relocation, academic pressure, motherhood, and personal challenges — including the emotional toll of marriage breakdown — forced her to pause her fashion career. In that silence, something unexpected emerged: the beginnings of her visual storytelling practice.

“I had lost my sense of identity,” she recalls. “But when I picked up my pencil again, I started to discover parts of myself I thought I’d lost. The sketches came before the courage. Art became my way back to myself.”

Fragments to Wholeness: A Journey in 11 Pieces

That rediscovery ultimately evolved into her ongoing digital art collection, Fragments to Wholeness — a series of 11 pieces exploring themes of mental health, identity, domestic violence, and resilience.

The collection visually narrates her journey through breakdown and recovery, touching on universal experiences of mental health, silence, struggle, and transformation. Each piece — from Threads Unravelling, depicting the earliest signs of emotional strain, to Light Keeper, symbolising hope and rebirth — invites audiences to see fragments of their own stories within hers.

“It’s not just my journey,” she explains. “These drawings are for anyone who has ever felt unheard, unseen, or overwhelmed. They’re reminders that even in our darkest seasons, there’s light within us waiting to be rediscovered. I look forward to exhibiting all 11 pieces when complete.”

Art as Advocacy
For Olubunmi, creating art is inseparable from advocating for mental health awareness. Her lived experiences — navigating emotional exhaustion, domestic trauma, and gradual healing through what she likes to call ‘therapeutic art’ — inform her commitment to using creativity as a platform for change and collective dialogue.

In September 2023, she joined Mienye Badejo, Zonal Director of the Federal Ministry of Labour & Employment, in an Instagram Live conversation on “Mental Health in the Workplace.” The session brought together hundreds of professionals and creatives to discuss emotional wellbeing, stigma, and safe spaces for dialogue.

“Conversations like that taught me the power of vulnerability,” she reflects. “So many of us are silently carrying the same weight, but once one person speaks, it opens the door for others to do the same. That’s the space I want my art to hold.”

A Global Vision, Rooted in Healing
Now based in the UK, Olubunmi is expanding her reach, blending her African heritage with her British creative experience to spark conversations that transcend borders. Her upcoming collaborative live art curation in Piccadilly, Manchester (October 2025) to celebrate World Mental Health Day, and planned solo exhibition will bring together visual artists, dancers, musicians, and storytellers in an immersive public showcase exploring mental health through art.

Her vision extends far beyond exhibitions:

“I want to build spaces where creativity becomes accessible to everyone,” she shares. “A future where art isn’t just about display but about healing, connection, and advocacy — especially for those living in silence.”

Becoming the Light Keeper
In her final piece from Fragments to Wholeness, titled Light Keeper, Olubunmi captures the heart of her artistic philosophy: Art Is Healing.

Light Keeper: “My story isn’t just about pain,” she says, “it’s about becoming — about rediscovering strength, voice, and purpose. If my art can make one person feel seen, understood, or hopeful, then I’ve fulfilled what I was called to do.”

As Elinth Arts’ work continues to gain recognition across Nigeria and the UK, she represents a growing generation of artists who are breaking boundaries, challenging stigma, and turning personal narratives into collective movements. Her art reminds us that healing is not linear — but in the act of creating, we find fragments of ourselves waiting to become whole again.