Stacey Olika

This year’s list at Rife magazine features another round of the city’s most impressive young people.

The nominations for this list came flooding in from day one of the launch and didn’t stop coming until the deadline. With the help of the young people we work with at Rife, we managed to whittle down tens upon tens of nominations to the final list and it definitely wasn’t easy. From swimmers to app developers, each and every one of these Bristolian or Bristol-based entries were jaw-dropping. Stacey Olika, an alumnus from the UWE BA Graphic Design course is one of those people – congratulations!

Stacey is a graphic designer, creative producer and curator. Her work explores how identity and culture is navigated in today’s society through a range of mediums. She has  co-curated Why Are We Not Here for Test Space at Spike Open Studios which addresses issues regarding the lack of representation in arts institutions, is a featured artist at Rising Artsand has recently facilitated a new publication, Conversations About Race, to generate much needed conversations in the city. She is the founder of Agents of Change, a programme to shine light on emerging creatives. She recently led the Uncomfortable Truths project at Bristol Museum and Art Gallery.

She says, “To be honest I didn’t expect it at all, I never expect recognition because I’m doing something I’m passionate about and I love. But the fact that people see what I’m doing and it’s influential, is greater than where I ever saw myself going.”