Fiona Quadri

Fiona Quadri is a London-based multidisciplinary artist, educator and community builder. Born in Brussels with Austro-Nigerian heritage, her practice spans photography, illustration and installation, drawing on lived experiences of displacement, race and community.

Quadri often works with queer BIPOC communities, using art as a tool for archiving stories that are overlooked in mainstream culture. Influenced by DIY publishing and activist-led creative practices, she explores how postcolonial histories can be reimagined through collective making.

Collaboration is central to her approach. Through workshops, talks and visual projects, Quadri creates spaces that prioritise accessibility, care and exchange.

What does belonging mean to your creative practice?

The word belonging has a lot of layers - belonging is a form of feeling included, at ease, feeling myself. I do this with my creative practice - I like to create not just a piece of artwork, but I like to create spaces where people feel like they belong without having to conform to any identity category. Belonging has a profoundly meaningful impact on my work.

Is there a moment in your process when you feel most connected to your work?

Throughout the process, there are different moments when I feel a lot of connection to the work. A very special moment is when I get to show people my work, so at the end of the process, when I unveil the piece and get people’s reactions. It makes me feel connected to the work because it allows me to understand that my work isn’t just for myself - it evokes certain feelings in other people too. I also feel very connected at the start of the process when I am working with a blank page and start out with a sketch and try and find a groove between me and what I’m making.

How do the materials you use shape the final work?

I don’t like to restrict myself to one material. I think some artists feel they need to choose one material to maintain their brand identity and keep people engaged, but for me, the material speaks to me based on the work I am doing. So I might create an illustration that ends up becoming a fabric, or I might start with an embroidery piece and that ends up becoming a moving image or video. The materials really gravitate towards me, and I like to play and experiment with lots of different materials without restricting myself to one.

How do you approach paper?

Paper for me is very much a means to a bigger end, I use it as a canvas to create artworks.I like exploring with different textures, and seeing how that impacts the illustrations I draw on top of the paper.

What colour feels most like you right now?

Purple! It is always purple - I love it so much. It really defines me and it’s the colour that makes me feel myself.