By Osa Mbonu-Amadi, Arts Editor

Olubunmi Elizabeth Ebisemiju, the Nigerian-born, UK-based visual artist behind Elinth Arts, has made a name for herself in contemporary art by weaving her real life experiences of abuse, motherhood, relocation, and emotional trauma into stunning abstract and digital drawings.

Born in June 1995, Ebisemiju’s journey from unisex fashion designer, under her 2010 label, “Lizabeth Haute”, to visual storyteller, began amid personal crisis in 2021. What started as survival sketches in the midst of marriage breakdown and loss of identity, evolved into “Fragments to Wholeness”.

“Fragments to Wholeness” is an 11-piece collection which documents the psychological journey from fracture to renewal. Described by the artist herself as “therapy in colour and form,” “Fragments to Wholeness” shows mental health struggles as well as provides healing. The piece invites viewers to confront their own invisible wounds through symbols and indirect images.

At its core, “Fragments to Wholeness” traces a winding path through trauma, endurance, and restoration, rooted in Ebisemiju’s encounters with experiences of trauma, displacement, emotional endurance, and the silence which society maintains around mental health.

The power of this collection lies in its refusal to glorify pain, choosing instead to fracture the canvas to mirror fractured psyches, and then reassembles them into symbols of empowerment. Her analytical background informs the structure and intentionality of her practice. It brings sharp analysis to her art, combining her knowledge of consultancy with raw emotion. As a British Art Network member, she deploys art as “social prescription,” and treats it as a bridge between personal narrative and communal conversations.

The series, which progressively unfolds with early works capturing rupture while later ones affirm rebirth, includes standout pieces such as “Silent Scream”, “Bruised Canvas”, “Threads Unravelling”, “Recovering Symmetry”, “Emerging Resonance”, “Light Keeper”, and others.

“Threads Unravelling” is probably rooted in Ebisemiju’s stint in fashion. The piece uses fraying lines to symbolise emotional strain which signposts the earliest signs of internal collapse—those quiet moments where pressure accumulates under social expectations to “hold it together” and conceal vulnerability. The smiling faces of the subject and others amid deep problems are typical of our situations. We wear smiles as facades to give the world the impression that all is well with us, while inside, we are dying gradually.

“Silent Scream” and “Bruised Canvas” further opens the collection with deep depictions of violence and silenced voices. Rough, thorny lines symbolise the mental agony associated with Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, where trauma manifests as trapped screams. The textured, torn canvases feel like skin under attack.

In “Recovering Symmetry” and “Emerging Resonance”, the tone shifts to resilience. Symmetrical forms begin to realign. Colours move from dull blues to bright golds, representing survival and victory.

“Light Keeper”, a sort of concluding piece for the collection, embodies hope and rebirth. Here, the shadowy forms are pierced by ethereal light, re-echoing the artist’s philosophy that art is healing, not just for herself, but also for the viewer, in the same way she made the pain universal.

One of the most impressive skills of the artist is her use of colour to build emotions. Deep indigos and bruised purples suggest trauma. Golden ambers and resonant reds symbolise restoration.

Thematically, the collection confronts the mental scars inflicted by Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, while celebrating resilience, aligning with Ebisemiju’s advocacy. According to her 2023 Instagram Live with Nigeria’s Federal Ministry of Labour on workplace mental health, art is a “safe space” for vulnerability.

Exhibited in international events like 2025’s “Ethereal” in Times Square New York, “Made of Me” in United Kingdom and “Flow” in Brazil, “Fragments to Wholeness” provides a bridge between visual storytelling and wellbeing conferences. For critics, it is “survival art” that plays a role in destigmatising mental health in African diaspora communities.

“Fragments to Wholeness” cements Olubunmi Elizabeth Ebisemiju as a vital voice in mental health advocacy through art. She does not only heal herself, but also builds spaces for the healing of others.