Lecture: Jomo Toriko (Webinar)

Jomo Tariku is an Ethiopian-American furniture designer based in Virginia, USA. Trained in industrial design, he is developing a new design language that synthesizes aspects of African culture. His practice is engaged with changing perceptions about African design along with exploring contemporary forms. Born in Kenya, Jomo grew up in Ethiopia and moved to the US in 1987. In his early twenties, he wrote a thesis about the future of African design in which he referred to architecture as an inspiration, demonstrating that design language could draw on multifarious sources. Since then, he has been committed to defining a modern approach to African furniture design and showing how designers from the diaspora can contribute to the international creative scene. Besides expanding his own practice, Jomo is playing a vital role as one of the founding members of the Black Artists + Designers Guild, (launched in 2018 by Malene Barnett) that aspires to bring more attention to black designers. Jomo’s work has been exhibited internationally, including in Dubai, Venice, Milan, Los Angeles and New York as well as Lagos, Accra and Addis Ababa on the African continent and just in November at The Met in New York City.