All Means All: Exploring Diversity, Representation and the Human Spirit

Yinka Olatunbosun

At Espacio Gallery in the heart of East London’s creative quarter, a new exhibition titled All Means All is reimagining what inclusivity looks like in contemporary art. The show which kicked off on September 19th and runs till September 25 brings together a diverse group of artists whose practice challenges exclusion and celebrates representation in all its forms.

Curated by Graciella Harger, All Means All bridges painting, sculpture, photography, and mixed media to explore the intersection of identity, accessibility, and equity thus offering visitors a multi-sensory experience where no voice is left unheard.

Among the exhibiting artists is Olanrewaju Atanda, a London-based Nigerian visual artist known for blending memory, culture, and emotion through vibrant mixed-media works. His contribution to the show includes Chaotic Beauty, Veronika, Seduction: Charming, and Seduction: Enchantment, forming a cohesive yet emotionally varied narrative about womanhood, resilience, and human complexity.

In Chaotic Beauty, Atanda revisits one of his signature themes: the co-existence of chaos and grace. Through layers of acrylic, charcoal, graphite, and Caran d’Ache crayons, he paints a striking portrait of a black woman whose strength shines through abstraction – a reminder that beauty often emerges from obscurity.

Veronika, by contrast, is deeply personal. It portrays a healthcare worker living far from home – isolated, emotionally drained, and questioning her sense of purpose. The piece becomes a visual testament to unseen struggles, offering hope and visibility to those who serve others while quietly enduring their own pain.

The Seduction series (Charming and Enchantment) marks a departure in tone but not in depth. Executed in white charcoal, pastel, and pencil on black paper, the works play with the idea of absence, revealing the female form through light and shadow, inviting the viewer to complete the story. The minimalist restraint speaks volumes: “less is more.”
Some visitors have described the works as “startlingly lifelike and irresistibly evocative,” often mistaking them for photographs until told otherwise.

“Inclusivity is humanity being humane, where the best of us doesn’t leave behind the worst of us,” says Atanda.

This ethos runs through all his work. Through each stroke and gesture, he transforms personal and collective experience into a universal story; one that reminds us art can be both aesthetic and ethical, both intimate and political.

As a Nigerian-born artist based in London, Atanda’s art bridges two worlds: the vibrancy of his heritage and the reflective sensibility of his adopted home. His presence in All Means All reinforces the exhibition’s central message – that every perspective matters, and every human story deserves a place in the narrative of art.

The exhibition’s inclusive framework challenges traditional hierarchies and invites audiences to reflect on what it truly means to belong. All Means All is not just a title; it’s a declaration, a call to recognise art as the mirror of humanity in all its diversity.