These influences and ideas through history and spiritual practice can be traced into a broad range of luminous works, spanning fashion, music and art. Recent highlights include the vibrant costumes Safira designed for Michael Kiwanuka’s 2024 performance on Glastonbury’s main stage, and her art direction for Little Simz’s Grey Area visuals, as well as designs for Ezra Collective’s album covers. Her radiant, evocative, boundary-pushing creations blend heritage, imagination, and bold experimentation, pulsing with color, rhythm, and cultural storytelling – weaving textures and emotions into captivating visual journeys.

Tunji Akintokun is Safira’s champion for The Wick. He spoke of the “affective pull, foregrounding lived experience and interiority” in her work that fits his stated preference for art that “carries story, memory and presence rather than surface spectacle.” By supporting artists early, Akintokun believes “underrepresented voices secure platforms, resources and confidence before market demand hardens into a hierarchy.” Through his Ilesha Charitable Trust, Akintokun extends this approach into mentorship, grants and exhibition support of artists he told the Wick he “is delighted the trust has acquired Safira’s work recently.”

This May, Safira will be the first Black woman to exhibit at the first gala at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton, where she will present a performance piece. Also in May, you can see her work at Photo London’s 11th edition at Kensington Olympia, “a particularly meaningful milestone” for the artist, she says.

As Safira’s trajectory continues to expand, her work stands as a testament to the power of cultural dialogue, intention, and artistic service. Rooted in history yet alive with contemporary urgency, she is not only shaping compelling visual worlds, but also carving space for deeper narratives, ensuring her voice, and others like it, resonate far beyond the present moment.