Carried by Sound by Anjola Ayodele

A digital illustration of a man in flowing orange robes and a red cap playing a Nigerian talking drum. The scene is set against an abstract background of sweeping shapes in blue, orange, and yellow.
A digital illustration of a man in flowing orange robes and a red cap playing a Nigerian talking drum. The scene is set against an abstract background of sweeping shapes in blue, orange, and yellow.
A digital illustration of a man in flowing orange robes and a red cap playing a Nigerian talking drum. The scene is set against an abstract background of sweeping shapes in blue, orange, and yellow.

Project Description

As a Nigerian artist, music has remained one of my strongest connections to my country of birth. The central theme of this piece is that sound carries identity. It bridges migration, distance, and lived experience.

This artwork is a vibrant composition of a musician playing a Nigerian talking drum. The figure is captured mid-motion, his posture grounded, emphasizing the physical dialogue between drummer and instrument. The talking drum, historically used in parts of west Africa to communicate and celebrate, becomes a symbol of ancestral voice and generational memory. Inspired by Highlife and Afrobeats, layered patterns and repeating forms move across the composition like bubbles of sound suggesting how music travels beyond borders and time. The importance of culture bearers whose rhythms carry stories forward. This piece is inviting viewers to feel how rhythm, like movement through places, connects communities, and home.

Medium

Digital drawing

Location

River Market Northbound KC Streetcar Shelter

Bio

Anjola Ayodele is a Nigerian-born muralist and public artist based in Kansas City, MO. She founded Jola Studios, a creative firm focused on storytelling through art that transforms shared spaces. Her work centers on community voice, using digital media, painted murals, and public art installations to translate lived experiences into bold, accessible visuals.

Grounded in her Nigerian heritage and perspective as a Black woman, Anjola’s practice explores identity, culture, and place. She creates site-responsive work shaped by collaboration, ensuring each project reflects the people and environment it serves. Her portfolio spans large-scale murals, dimensional sculptural installations, and civic art across multiple U.S. states, including Texas and Arizona. Her recent work includes a city-commissioned 3D sculpture in Flagstaff, AZ and public transit installations in Park City, Utah. With an educational background in both accounting and digital media, and over a decade of experience in illustration and design, Anjola combines artistic vision with strong project and budget management to deliver impactful, community-centered public art.

Website | jolastudios.com

Instagram | anjola.ay

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