Artists
Deborah Makinde
Deborah Makinde creates vibrant, deeply personal works inspired by family, memory and her Ghanaian heritage, working across textiles, ceramics, illustration and printmaking.
Deborah Makinde
My Mum From Ghana
Deborah Makinde
Club 2
Deborah Makinde
Club 1
Deborah Makinde
Men in Black
Deborah Makinde
European Badger
Deborah Makinde is a multidisciplinary artist whose practice spans textiles, ceramics, illustration and printmaking. Drawing on personal experience, family history and her Ghanaian heritage, she creates vibrant, deeply personal works that explore memory, identity and remembrance.
Since returning to the Venture Arts studio in 2021, Deborah has developed a significant body of work responding to the loss of her mother. Through both textile and ceramic processes, her practice has become a space for reflection and healing, bringing together personal narrative, cultural traditions and material experimentation.
A central work in this ongoing series is a large-scale hand-stitched textile portrait of her mother, created entirely from Ghanaian fabrics. Developed over several years, the work reflects Deborah’s patient and thoughtful approach to making, with the act of stitching becoming a powerful process of remembrance. Alongside this, she has produced a series of ceramic memorial portraits inspired by the Ghanaian tradition of memorial heads, honouring both family members and influential women.
Deborah’s work often celebrates strong female figures, drawing inspiration from both personal relationships and popular culture. Rich in colour, pattern and storytelling, her practice balances joy and loss, creating space for conversations around grief, heritage and belonging. Through her work, Deborah offers a moving exploration of how creativity can help us remember, reconnect and heal.
Deborah Makinde's exhibitions and events
- Manchester Open 2024 28th Apr 2024
- VA Collectives | Narratives 30th Nov 2023
- Conversations Series III: Narratives 26th Feb 2023
- Narratives: The Julie Party 2nd Dec 2022
- The Manchester Contemporary 2022 6th Nov 2022
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Environments, Outside In
National Open Art Exhibition, London,
2019. -
PERSPECTIVES, Venture Arts
various venues in Manchester and Salford,
2018. -
MADE, Venture Arts Studio Show
People’s History Museum, Manchester,
2015. -
The Art of Nature, Venture Arts Studio Show
The Lowry, Salford Quays,
2014.
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A3 Prints
2019
Commissions
We are delighted when people want to commission work from us and our artists. This can either be as a group project or an individual artist creating one of their unique pieces for you.
To find out more and to arrange a studio visit please contact Katherine Long on 0161 232 1223 or email katherine@venturearts.org
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