Zelaki Newsletter | April 2025, Edition III
Celebrating African Art, Design, and Culture
This edition dives into three exciting narratives reshaping African art and design today. Harvard GSD explores the evolution of African landscape architecture, highlighting its potential for sustainability and urban innovation. Iké Udé brings a touch of elegance to Vogue, photographing Colman Domingo in stunning portraits that merge historical grandeur with modern Black fashion. Meanwhile, Kehinde Wiley’s latest exhibition, A Maze of Power, challenges conventional views of political authority, reimagining African leadership through powerful portraits.
And for the first time, we offer an exclusive preview of Zelaki Studios’ spring collection. “Roots in Bloom” celebrates cultural heritage through Afro-centric patterns and modern minimalism, blending authenticity, joy, and bold design. This collection embodies the beauty of home, carried with you wherever you go.
Join us as we explore the vibrant threads of African artistry, design, and leadership, shaping the future with every bold step forward.
News from Africa And Beyond
Harvard GSD Highlights the Growth of African Landscape Architecture
Harvard University's Graduate School of Design recently published The Plural Forms of African Landscape Architecture, a comprehensive exploration of the evolving field across the continent. The article examines how landscape architecture in Africa is uniquely shaped by diverse environments, cultures, and histories, but also points out significant structural challenges. Despite Africa’s rich traditions of working with land and environment, formal professional associations and academic programs dedicated to landscape architecture remain scarce compared to other regions of the world.
The publication calls attention to a growing movement among African practitioners and scholars to develop a discipline that reflects the realities and needs of African cities and rural spaces. It stresses that landscape architecture in Africa must navigate complex layers of colonial legacies, rapid urbanization, and climate change while drawing from indigenous knowledge systems and sustainable practices.
Harvard GSD’s piece also highlights several initiatives working to strengthen the field, including new educational programs, regional networks, and collaborative projects between African and international institutions. However, the authors argue that greater investment, policy support, and visibility are crucial if landscape architecture is to fulfill its potential as a tool for resilience, equity, and environmental justice on the continent.
Photo: Iwan Baan
Iké Udé Captures Colman Domingo for Vogue's May Issue
Nigerian-American artist and photographer Iké Udé brings his signature elegance and layered artistry to Vogue's May 2025 issue, photographing actor Colman Domingo in a striking series of portraits. The collaboration aligns with the Met Gala’s exhibition, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, which celebrates the craftsmanship and cultural significance of Black fashion.
Known for his neoclassical aesthetic and vivid use of color, Udé drew inspiration from 19th-century European painters like Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, creating images that blend historical grandeur with modern vitality. Domingo’s portraits, featuring rich textures and poised compositions, honor the sophistication and creativity within Black sartorial traditions.
Beyond the photographs, Udé contributed to the Superfine project as a consultant and wrote the epilogue for its official catalog. His involvement highlights his ongoing mission to reframe Black subjects with dignity, artistry, and power in contemporary visual culture.
Photo: Courtesy of Iké Udé
Kehinde Wiley’s A Maze of Power Debuts in Morocco
Acclaimed American artist Kehinde Wiley has opened his latest exhibition, A Maze of Power, at the Mohammed VI Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rabat, Morocco. Known for his portraits that reimagine classical European art with Black subjects, Wiley’s new series shifts focus to contemporary African leadership.
The exhibition features eleven large-scale portraits of African heads of state, including Ethiopia’s former President Sahle-Work Zewde and Ivory Coast’s President Alassane Ouattara. Wiley spent six years photographing and interviewing leaders across Africa, capturing not just their official stature but also their individuality and humanity. His paintings use lush, intricate backgrounds and powerful poses to explore how political power is visually constructed and perceived.
By placing African leaders within a visual tradition historically reserved for European aristocracy, Wiley invites viewers to rethink ideas of authority, legacy, and representation. After earlier showings in Paris and Dakar, the exhibition’s Moroccan debut continues its journey across continents, framing African leadership through a new and compelling artistic lens.
Picture from Mosa'ab Elshamy
Seed for the bloom: A Passport to Identity
Our latest tote design is inspired by the trend of carrying passports in jeans pockets, but it means so much more to us than just a stylish accessory. While social media often highlights travel and fashion, what truly resonates with us are the deeper stories behind it, stories of dual nationality, migration, and the rich tapestry of holding multiple identities.
In this tote, we've infused our Ethiopian heritage, showcasing elements like traditional jewelry, our love for coffee, and the passport itself. These aren’t just decorative features; they represent who we are at our core. This tote is a way to carry those meaningful pieces of ourselves with us wherever we go, every day.
Because culture isn’t something we leave behind. It’s something we carry.
By Ruth Wondimu
Design by Ruth Wondimu
