Yesomi Umolu

Yesomi Umolu (1984, Lagos) is a Minneapolis-based curator, writer and researcher. She is currently Curatorial Fellow at the Walker Art Centre, Minneapolis. Her practice interrogates the discourses that support critical spatial practices across art, architecture and curating.

She was recently curator -in-residence at Hordaland Art Centre, Bergen, where she launched a series of curatorial propositions that explore the irony of trans-national social spaces. She continued these investigations as part of a co-residency at the Center for Contemporary Art Ujazdowski Castle, Warsaw (in collaboration with Brave New Alps.)

She co-directs the curatorial agency AGM and is a core contributor to the experimental, interdisciplinary
workspace Department 21. Her recent projects include co-curating the archival space AGM 10: Collectivus CPS at Manifesta 8 (2010); co-curating the exhibition John Smith Solo Show, Royal College of Art, London (2010); collaborating on the interdisciplinary project Department 21, Royal College of Art, London (2010); curating Performing Localities, two days of talks and screenings of recent Guatemalan Performance Art on Video at Iniva, London (2009) and a collaborative intervention with curatorial project space FormContent at Contested Ground, Project Space 176, London (2009).

Yesomi has held positions as as Curatorial Assistant for Chamber of Public Secrets at Manifesta 8, Region of
Murcia (2010), Public Programmes Assistant at the Serpentine Gallery, London (2009) and Project Coordinator
at Tate Modern, London (2005-8). She is a regularly invited critic and seminar tutor at the Bartlett School of Architecture, University College of London. She has contributed to seminars and conferences at a number of
international universities including Goldsmiths University, London and the University of the Witwatersrand,
Johannesburg. Yesomi is an editorial collaborator for Critical Photography published by Intellect Books
(Bristol, UK and Wilmington, North Carolina, USA).

Yesomi holds an MA (with distinction) in Curating Contemporary Art from the Royal College of Art and a MA (Hons.) in Architectural Design from the University of Edinburgh. She is fluent in English and proficient in French.