Ini Archibong

Nigerian-American artist and designer

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Ini Archibong

Born| 1983

Pasadena

Alma mater|

* Polytechnic School
* ArtCenter College of Design
* École cantonale d'art de Lausanne

Occupation| Designer, artist, writer, musician
Relatives| Koko Archibong
Website| designbyini.com

[edit on Wikidata]

Inimfon "Ini" Joshua Archibong (born 23 June 1983) is an American-born Nigerian artist and designer.[1][2] His work reflects an interest in master-craftsmanship and its relationship to technology, as well as mathematics, philosophy, and world religions.[3][4] He has said about the relationship between art and design, "[t]he idea that something has to be useless in order to be art is something I reject."[5]

## Early life and education

[edit]

Born to Nigerian parents who emigrated to the United States as academic scholars, Archibong was born and raised in Pasadena, California.[2][6] He graduated from the Polytechnic School, then briefly attended the University of Southern California's business school before dropping out.[7][8][9] He subsequently enrolled at ArtCenter College of Design where he was both an Edwards Entrance Scholar and an Art Center Outreach Grant recipient, was also named the 2010 Student Designer of the Year,[10] and from which he received a degree in Environmental Design.[11][12]

After graduation, he joined Tim Kobe's Eight Inc. [de] in Singapore, before continuing his studies at the École cantonale d'art de Lausanne (ÉCAL), where he earned a master's of advanced studies in Design for Luxury and Craftsmanship.[13][14][15]

## Career

[edit]

Vernus 3, on display in the Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibition, Before Yesterday We Could Fly

Archibong began exhibiting his work at the Milan Furniture Fair in the mid-2010s. His 2016 furniture collection titled The Secret Garden was produced with the support of the actor Terry Crews.[16][17] This was followed by several exhibitions of his furniture designs for Sé Collections at the Rossana Orlandi gallery.[18][19] He began an ongoing collaboration with the Knoll furniture company in 2018 creating designs such as the "Iquo Cafe Collection".[20] In 2019 Hermès began marketing Archibong's "Galop d'Hermès" wristwatch.[21][13] In 2020, Archibong started working on the creation of sculptural pieces for a solo exhibition at the Friedman Benda Gallery in New York.[22]

In addition to his artwork and design practice, Archibong has taught at several design institutions and is a visiting professor at his alma mater ÉCAL, and has also taught at the International Institute for Management Development (IMD) in Lausanne and the National University of Singapore in Singapore.[23][24] He has also lectured and spoken internationally including at the College Art Association conference, USC School of Architecture, and in Dubai and Design Indaba in Cape Town.[25][26][27][28]

In 2019, along with business development collaborations with Benjamin de Haan, Archibong founded L.M.N.O. CREATIVE, a multi-disciplinary design collective. The collective includes fellow graduates from Pasadena's ArtCenter, Jori Brown and Maxwell Engelmann, as well as designer Ebony Lerandy, who studied under Archibong at ÉCAL.[29]

In 2023, Archibong began working with Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg on the concept, packaging, and graphic identity for a new brand to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the 1993 single Gin and Juice. The resulting products include a canned alcoholic drink brand called Gin & Juice that was released in 2024. The design features an "explicit content" Parental Advisory logo and illustrations by the artist Wayne Johnson.[30][31][32][33][34] A Venetian glass bottle design for a gin called "Still G.I.N.", a reference to Dr Dre's 1999 single Still D.R.E., was released later in the same year.[35] In 2025, Archibong was named creative director of Gin & Juice, "where he'll oversee graphic identity, design language, future packaging concepts and visual presentation for the brand."[36] Other clients include companies such as de Sede [de], Bernhardt Design, Diageo, and Logitech.[37][38][39][40][41]

## Awards and exhibitions

[edit]

Craft x Tech Tohoku Project at Design Miami Art Basel (2024)[42][43][44]

He is the recipient of the ICFF Studio Award, Best of NeoCon Silver, International Woodworking Fair's Design Emphasis Award, ICFF's American Student Designer of the Year Award, and the 2019 Elle Deco American Design Award.[45][28] In 2019, he received Distinguished Alumni awards from both ArtCenter and Polytechnic in his hometown of Pasadena.[46][47]

Archibong's work has been exhibited at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London (V&A), Alyce de Roulet Williamson Gallery in Pasadena, Galerie Triode in Paris, the Museo Bagatti Valsecchi in Milan, Spazio Rossana Orlandi in Milan, Design Indaba in Cape Town, the Dallas Museum of Art, the High Museum in Atlanta, and the Design Museum in London.[48][49][50]

His design for a Pavilion of the African Diaspora (PoAD) won the Best Design Medal at the London Design Biennale at Somerset House in June 2021.[51][52] In the same year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET)[53] in New York acquired his "Orion" table, "Atlas" chair and "Vernus 3" chandelier for its Afrofuturist Period Room.[54]

The 2021 exhibition Emphatic: Discovering a Glass Legacy at Punta Conterie Gallery in Murano included works by Archibong, as well as the designers Noé Duchaufour-Lawrance, GamFratesi, Benjamin Hubert, Richard Hutten, Luca Nichetto, Elena Salmistraro, and Marc Thorpe.[55] In 2022 the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) added Archibong's "Switch" table to its permanent collection.[56] The table also featured in his second solo show, titled Narthex, at the Friendman Benda gallery in Los Angeles.[57][58] His Iquo Cafe Collection for Knoll received a Good Design award in 2022.[59][60]

Archibong's work was included in the exhibition Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design at Chatsworth at Chatsworth House (2023),[61][62][63][64] as well as The New Transcendence, a group show at Friedman Benda Gallery in New York also featuring works by Andrea Branzi, Stephen Burks, Najla El Zein, Courtney Leonard, and Samuel Ross (2024).[65][66]

Museum visitor interacting with the theremin element of Artifact #VII by Archibong and Tsugaru Nuri lacquer, Prince Consort Gallery, V&A (2024)[67][68][69]

A collaboration between Archibong and Tsugaru Nuri Japanese lacquerware was unveiled at an exhibition called Craft x Tech Tohoku Project at Kudan House in Tokyo (2024).[70][71] Described as a "musical instrument in the form of a large organic pod-shaped sculpture ... [that] emits otherworldly electronic sounds when human hands hover above its lacquered surfaces", the piece and the exhibition itself seeks to marry heritage master-crafts techniques with contemporary technology.[67] The show was curated by Maria Cristina Didero, and also included works by Sabine Marcelis, Studio Swine, Yoichi Ochiai, Michael Young, and Hideki Yoshimoto.[72][73][74] The work was also exhibited at Design Miami Art Basel and in the Prince Consort Gallery of the V&A London.[68][75][76]

## Writing

[edit]

The New York Times published an essay by Archibong titled Ini Archibong: What We Believe About Storytelling in 2021.[77] The essay is part of a series called The Big Ideas: What Do We Believe,[78] which also includes essays by Agnes Callard, Garry Kasparov, T.M. Luhrmann, Harry Reid, and Carlo Rovelli, among others. This work was later published in a compendium titled Question Everything: A Stone Reader.[79]

### Publications

[edit]

* Speechless: different by design. Schleuning, Sarah (2019). Dallas Museum of Art, High Museum of Art. Shapco Printing, Dallas, Texas. ISBN 978-0-300-24703-9. OCLC 1139707385
* The ECAL manual of style: how to best teach design today?. Jonathan Olivares, Alexis Georgacopoulos (2022). Phaidon Press, London. ISBN 978-1-83866-517-3. OCLC 1280602474
* Before Yesterday We Could Fly: An Afrofuturist Period Room. Ian Alteveer, Hannah Beachler, Sarah E. Lawrence, (2022). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. ISBN 978-1-58839-745-4
* Question everything: a Stone reader. Peter Catapano, Simon Critchley (2022). Liveright, New York. ISBN 978-1-324-09183-7. OCLC 1347117429

## Personal life

[edit]

Archibong lives and works in Neuchâtel, Switzerland.[29][80] He has a daughter.[1] He is the younger brother of Olympic athlete Koko Archibong.[81]

## See also

[edit]

* Notable Alumni, Polytechnic School
* List of ArtCenter College of Design people
* Notable alumni, École cantonale d'art de Lausanne
* Notable Designers, Knoll, Inc.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Designer Ini Archibong Shares a Glimpse Into His World, in Photographs". The New York Times. 2019-03-21. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
2. ^ a b Swithinbank, Robin (2019-03-20). "A Hermès Watch for Any Gender". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
3. ^ "The Breakout Year of Ini Archibong". Surface magazine. 2019-09-23. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
4. ^ "Ini Archibong | Connected". connectedbydesign.online. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
5. ^ Robertson, Emma (25 May 2022). "INI ARCHIBONG: "I HAVE TO STAY SPIRITUALLY IN TUNE"". The Talks. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
6. ^ Olley, Cat (2022-03-02). "Ini Archibong introduces us to his all-time favourite object". ELLE Decoration. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
7. ^ "Poly Alumni Association nominates 2019 Distinguished Alumnus – Ini Archibong '01". Polytechnic School. 2019-07-23. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
8. ^ Didero, Maria Cristina. "Interview with Ini Archibong, artist of the future-present". Domus. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
9. ^ London, Eli (2022-10-19). "Ini Archibong: a multi-disciplinary master of design". Courier. Retrieved 2022-12-01.
10. ^ Gold, Jered (2010-05-05). "Archibong Named Student Designer of the Year". ArtCenter News. Retrieved 2023-02-26.
11. ^ "Ini Archibong". ArtCenter College of Design. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
12. ^ "How Los Angeles Shaped Ini Archibong's Unique Design Vision". Azure. 2019-02-22. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
13. ^ a b "Introducing Ini Archibong, Hermès' Latest Watchmaking Wunderkind". British Vogue. 13 January 2019. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
14. ^ "INTERVIEW: Designer Ini Archibong On Making "Three-Dimensional Poetry"". Pin-Up Magazine. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
15. ^ "WDO | Changemakers 2022: Ini Archibong is Making Space for Design Storytelling". World Design Organization. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
16. ^ Dameron, Amanda (2019-10-03). "Designer Ini Archibong Finds A Patron in Actor Terry Crews". Dwell. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
17. ^ Derringer, Jaime (2016-07-01). "In The Secret Garden by Ini Archibong for Amen&Amen". Design Milk. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
18. ^ "Ini Archibong's debut collection for Sé explores delicacy and strength". Encyclopedia of Design. 2021-10-03. Retrieved 2023-02-28.
19. ^ "Ini Archibong". Rossana Orlandi. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
20. ^ "Form Language: A Conversation Between Ini Archibong and Norman Teague | k. talks Replay | Knoll". Knoll. Retrieved 2022-09-28.
21. ^ "An Equestrian Sensibility and a New Collaboration Underpin Hermès's Latest Watch, Galop d'Hermès". Artnet News. 2019-02-01. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
22. ^ Bury, Martine (26 March 2020). "Thirty-Six-Year-Old Ini Archibong's Designs Are History in the Making". CSQ.
23. ^ "Design for Luxury and Craftsmanship (ÉCAL)". École cantonale d'art de Lausanne. Archived from the original on 2020-09-29. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
24. ^ "Innovation Entrepreneurship for Design Students". INDESIGNLIVE SINGAPORE | Daily Connection to Architecture and Design. 2014-02-17. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
25. ^ "Designer Ini Archibong on merging myth and reality to create The Secret Garden". Design Indaba. 25 March 2019.
26. ^ "Creativity is contagious: 4 talks not to be missed at Design Indaba 2018". TimesLIVE. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
27. ^ "The Culture of Collaboration". Dubai Design Week. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
28. ^ a b "Ini Archibong | Dezeen Awards | Judges". Dezeen. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
29. ^ a b Wallis, Stephen (2021-02-05). "Designer Ini Archibong Reveals Inspiration Behind His Forthcoming London Biennale Installation". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
30. ^ Brandoli, Lucia. "Ini Archibong collaborates with Dre and Snoop: beware, it's "explicit content"". Domus. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
31. ^ Williams, Tianna (2024-08-09). "First look: Ini Archibong explores 2D design with Dr Dre and Snoop Dogg for new canned gin drink". Wallpaper. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
32. ^ Williams, Tianna (2024-12-29). "Year in review: Barbie to Snoop Dogg, the starriest design collaborations of 2024". Wallpaper. Retrieved 2024-12-31.
33. ^ Choo, Hannah (2024-08-13). "Gin & Juice, a new canned cocktail by Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre, features the work of Ini Archibong". Robb Report. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
34. ^ Hahn, Jennifer (2024-08-07). "Ini Archibong designs packaging for Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre's Gin & Juice". Dezeen. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
35. ^ Uwumarogie, Victoria (18 October 2024). "Snoop Dogg And Dr. Dre Release Ultra Premium Spirit, Still G.I.N. — 'From The Look To The Taste, It's All There'". Essence. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
36. ^ Eberhardt, Ellen (24 January 2025). "Ini Archibong designs gin bottle for Snoop Dogg and Dr Dre". Dezeen. Retrieved 2025-03-04.
37. ^ "Collaboration with de Sede". École cantonale d'art de Lausanne. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
38. ^ de Sede (2015-07-26). Einzelinterview Inimfon Archibon. Retrieved 2025-01-07 - via YouTube.
39. ^ Leadership, Creativity and the Logitech Story, 7 October 2020, retrieved 2021-03-26
40. ^ "A Look at Hermès' Unique Approach to Watchmaking". Prestige Online – Hong Kong. 2021-01-06. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
41. ^ "Ini Archibong and Trey Ratcliff Release Ultra-Rare Casks With Diageo and Sotheby's". Whitewall. 3 June 2022. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
42. ^ "Best Curio Presentation: Craft x Tech – DESIGN MIAMI.BASEL". Design Miami. 11 June 2024. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
43. ^ "Craft x Tech · Design Miami". Design Miami. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
44. ^ Schwarz, Suzanne (28 August 2024). "Kreationen". architektur-technik.ch (in German). Retrieved 19 July 2025.
45. ^ "See the Winners of ELLE Decor's American Design Awards for 2019". ELLE Decor. 31 October 2019. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
46. ^ "ArtCenter College of Design Honors Doug Aitken, Sterling Ruby, and Others with Alumni Awards". Artforum. 10 October 2019. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
47. ^ "Ini Archibong '01 honored on campus as Distinguished Alumnus of the Year". Polytechnic School. 2019-11-30. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
48. ^ "Ini Archibong". Rossana Orlandi. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
49. ^ "Connected". Design Museum. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
50. ^ "Ini Archibong updates Theoracle installation to comment on racial injustice". Dezeen. 2020-10-26. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
51. ^ "Ini Archibong unveils Pavilion of the African Diaspora". Wallpaper*. 2021-02-09. Retrieved 2021-03-26.
52. ^ "The Pavilion of the African Diaspora (PoAD)". London Design Biennale. 6 August 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2025.
53. ^ Archibong, Ini (2022-01-26). "AFPR—Meet The Artists: Ini Archibong". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
54. ^ "Ini Archibong MET Museum Collection". Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
55. ^ Orio, Roberta (2021-09-16). "Luca Nichetto conquers Murano with an exhibition on glass". Domus. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
56. ^ "DA2 2022: Recent Decorative Arts and Design Acquisitions". Unframed. 2022-09-20. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
57. ^ "INI ARCHIBONG: NARTHEX – Friedman Benda". Retrieved 2023-03-13.
58. ^ "Ini Archibong solo exhibition now on view at Friedman Benda Gallery". artdaily.com. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
59. ^ "The Good Design Awards, 2022, Iquo Cafe Collection". www.good-designawards.com. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
60. ^ "The European Centre". www.europeanarch.eu. Retrieved 2023-03-13.
61. ^ "Mirror Mirror: Reflections on Design at Chatsworth". www.chatsworth.org. Archived from the original on 2023-03-03. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
62. ^ Himelfarb, Ellen (2023-03-03). "These British manors have become modern art destinations". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2023-03-15.
63. ^ Bertoli, Rosa (2023-03-17). "Chatsworth House design exhibition explores contemporary design themes in an eclectic setting". wallpaper.com. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
64. ^ Madlener, Adrian (2023-03-17). "How Can You Make an English Manor Filled With Old Masters Feel Contemporary? At Chatsworth House, the Answer Is Cutting-Edge Design". Artnet News. Retrieved 2023-03-19.
65. ^ Barandy, Kat (13 January 2024). "the new transcendence: friedman benda highlights artists from andrea branzi to samuel ross". designboom | architecture & design magazine. Retrieved 1 February 2024.
66. ^ "Friedman Benda NY considers design as motifs of 'The New Transcendence'". www.stirpad.com. Retrieved 2024-03-04.
67. ^ a b Demetriou, Danielle (2024-06-02). "Craft x Tech elevates Japanese craftsmanship with progressive technology". Wallpaper. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
68. ^ a b "Craft x Tech Tohoku Project – Display at V&A South Kensington · V&A". Victoria and Albert Museum. Archived from the original on 2025-07-18. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
69. ^ Chicco, Gianfranco (11 September 2024). "Prefecture makes perfect". London Design Festival. Archived from the original on 18 July 2025. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
70. ^ Yamada, Mio (2024-05-18). "A new initiative rethinks old Tohoku crafts". The Japan Times. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
71. ^ "Craft x Tech". Hube magazine. 4 June 2024. Archived from the original on 19 July 2025. Retrieved 19 July 2025.
72. ^ Akkam, Alia (2024-05-20). "Tohoku Project presents inaugural Craft x Tech exhibition". Architectural Digest. Retrieved 2024-05-27.
73. ^ "Craft x Tech Tohoku Project 2024 Exhibition to be Held at kudan house". ADF Web Magazine (in Japanese). 2024-04-24. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
74. ^ "CRAFT X TECH – An initiative to unify traditional Japanese craft and contemporary technology". CRAFT X TECH. Retrieved 2024-06-02.
75. ^ "Craft x Tech exhibition pair designers with Japanese master artisans". Dezeen. 2024-09-17. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
76. ^ "CRAFT x TECH. El poder transformador de la colaboración entre artesanía y diseño contemporáneo". DXI magazine (in European Spanish). 2024-09-05. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
77. ^ Archibong, Ini (1 June 2021). "Ini Archibong: What We Believe About Storytelling". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2 Apr 2025. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
78. ^ "The Big Ideas: What Do We Believe?". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-09-15.
79. ^ Catapano, Peter, ed. (2022). Question Everything: A Stone Reader (1st ed.). W. W. Norton (Liverlight). pp. 83–86\. ISBN 978-1-324-09183-7.
80. ^ Evans, Christina Ohly (2024-08-30). "Ini Archibong's guide to the quiet cool of Neuchâtel". Financial Times. Retrieved 2025-01-07.
81. ^ Reddinger, Paige (2019-09-01). "Design Maven Ini Archibong on His Hermès Watch Collection, Vinyl Records and Favorite Cocktail". Robb Report. Retrieved 2022-10-22.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website
* Ini Archibong at IMDb
* Ini Archibong (Friedman Benda Gallery)
* Ini Archibong: Making the Chair (BBC World Service radio documentary)
* Meet The Artists: Ini Archibong (Before Yesterday We Could Fly, Metropolitan Museum of Art)
* Form Language A Conversation Between Ini Archibong and Norman Teague (Knoll)
* Pavilion of the African Diaspora (PoAD, London Design Biennale)