SHOFELA COKER
Shofela is an illustrator and director of animation born and raised in Lagos, Nigeria. He attended the Memphis College of Art and graduated with a BFA in illustration. He was the art director of the animated documentary, Liyana, which won Best Documentary at the LA Film Festival and Grand Prize at the New York Children’s Film Festival. He also directed Moremi, an animated short on Disney+, which was nominated for 3 Annie Awards and 1 Emmy Award.
He co-created and illustrated the Africanfuturist graphic novel, New Masters (Image Comics). He co-created and wrote Bronze Faces (Boom! Studios), a heist-drama graphic novel about Nigerian friends who repatriate the Benin Bronzes.
He is influenced by Nigerian mythology and literary fiction. Most of his films and practice involve exploring Nigerian identity and Africanfuturism. He has a deep appreciation for stillness in nature, all its splendor, and stories that express poetic truths about humanity.
