'ARISE, BELOVED' BY NIFEMI MADARIKAN

Guest Contributor
Jul 24
3 min read

This month, we are honored to spotlight photographer and filmmaker Nifemi Madarikan. Nifemi was born and raised in Nigeria and now resides in Seattle, Washington. His work was recently featured in At the Garden, an art exhibition and film festival curated by Arrived Creative Collective and Taswira. Please enjoy Nifemi's powerful collection.

ARISE, BELOVED

Arise, Beloved is a portrait series that centers quiet moments of powerful connection in interpersonal relationships, and within oneself. Across intimate portraits, I depict subjects extending kindness to themselves and others, holding space for grief, embracing vulnerability, and practicing a radical mindfulness in the face of emotional intensity. These scenes are invitations to slow down, feel deeply, and recognize that suffering is not isolating, but a shared experience woven into the fabric of our collective human existence. In my portraits, I try to position compassion as a catalyst for transformation and healing.

I want to provoke empathy and make space for the viewer to bear witness to sorrow. In recognizing the pain of others, we inch closer to recognizing our own, and in doing so, we find more grace to be gentle with ourselves. This photography series brings to life scenes I’ve carried inside me for months. It is both an offering and a mirror. A creative ritual in which I hone my craft and, in the process, deepen my relationship with selfhood, healing, and care.

Nifemi Madarikan, Photographer

Franco in the Garden. In this portrait, a bare-chested figure emerges from a bed of soft, blooming flowers, framed by a backdrop of deep, urgent red. Red surrounds and pulses through the frame, not as a warning, but as a testament to passion, urgency, and love made visible. — ***Franco in the Garden***. In this portrait, a bare-chested figure emerges from a bed of soft, blooming flowers, framed by a backdrop of deep, urgent red. Red surrounds and pulses through the frame, not as a warning, but as a testament to passion, urgency, and love made visible.

Ayan and Franco in Black. Wrapped in sheer white and touched by crimson, two figures lean into each other with arms wrapped, evoking a sacred tenderness that defies time. — ***Ayan and Franco in Black***. Wrapped in sheer white and touched by crimson, two figures lean into each other with arms wrapped, evoking a sacred tenderness that defies time.

Ayan and Franco in Red. Standing hand in hand, one figure faces us with quiet confidence while the other turns inward, his exposed back laced with crimson ribbon – a portrait of vulnerability, duality, and unspoken intimacy. — ***Ayan and Franco in Red.*** Standing hand in hand, one figure faces us with quiet confidence while the other turns inward, his exposed back laced with crimson ribbon – a portrait of vulnerability, duality, and unspoken intimacy.

Ayan in Black. Glimmering through the shadows, Ayan stands crowned with scarlet petals, her steady gaze blooming with resilient tenderness. — ***Ayan in Black***. Glimmering through the shadows, Ayan stands crowned with scarlet petals, her steady gaze blooming with resilient tenderness.

Jamal in Red. Swathed in crimson, a figure’s half-exposed, half-veiled body glows with a trembling tension between grief and tender resolve. — ***Jamal in Red.*** Swathed in crimson, a figure’s half-exposed, half-veiled body glows with a trembling tension between grief and tender resolve.

Jolie and Taylore in Blue. Bathed in soft stage light, two women share a joyful glance, their arms entwined as if stepping into a ceremony only they can define. — ***Jolie and Taylore in Blue***. Bathed in soft stage light, two women share a joyful glance, their arms entwined as if stepping into a ceremony only they can define.

Sisters Three. Adorned in white, three figures hold each other with reverence and calm, their constellation of glittering adornments echoing the grace of kinship and collective dreaming. — ***Sisters Three***. Adorned in white, three figures hold each other with reverence and calm, their constellation of glittering adornments echoing the grace of kinship and collective dreaming.

Riana and Jamal in Red 1. Against a sea of urgent crimson, two figures – one in white lace, the other obscured in scarlet – lean forehead to forehead, embodying a quiet yet potent moment of vulnerability and trust. — ***Riana and Jamal in Red 1***. Against a sea of urgent crimson, two figures – one in white lace, the other obscured in scarlet – lean forehead to forehead, embodying a quiet yet potent moment of vulnerability and trust.

Riana and Jamal in Red 2. Swathed in a black satin durag embroidered with crimson roses, one figure draws his partner close. Her head rests safely against his shoulder, and his arm lays a quiet promise around her waist – together, they share a tender sanctuary in each other. — ***Riana and Jamal in Red 2***. Swathed in a black satin durag embroidered with crimson roses, one figure draws his partner close. Her head rests safely against his shoulder, and his arm lays a quiet promise around her waist – together, they share a tender sanctuary in each other.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Raised in Nigeria and now rooted in Seattle, Nifemi Madarikan is a visual artist whose work explores how threads of vulnerability, self-compassion, and intimacy bind our lives together.

Nifemi constructs scenes shaped by light, feeling, and narrative. Exhibited in Seattle and supported by local institutions including the Museum of Pop Culture, 4Culture, and NFFTY, his practice centers quiet moments of powerful connection that position tenderness as both compass and shelter.

At its core, Nifemi’s work offers a space for bearing witness to shared experiences of pain, presence, and resilience. Through image-making, he invites viewers into a deeper relationship with themselves and with one another.