15 Questions With… Rubee Samuel

How are you at the moment?

I’m really content with life, I’m in good health and working on projects that I enjoy.

What is your morning ritual? How does your day begin?

I’ve started sleeping with my blinds up, so I usually wake up around 6am. Whilst the weather is still nice, I like to start my day with a walk, often listening to The Receipts Podcast. I then try to do an hour of Spanish language practice, have a medium boiled egg with Maggi and chilli flakes, check in on my plants to see how they’re fruiting and then shower before starting work.

What, right now, can you see? I’m on my balcony watching the sun set and a murmuration of starlings do their evening dance.

What artist, project, book would you recommend we see/follow?

I recently saw Grace Jones at London’s Southbank Meltdown Festival and I think about it at least once a day. She’s one of the best performers I’ve seen. If she’s playing near you, I would highly recommend you get a ticket.

Tell us about your process when starting a new project.

All my projects start with writing. Photography is like a form of therapy for me and the final images are the ‘solution’ to the ‘issue’ at hand. I write down my thoughts and feelings like one would when talking to a therapist, and ultimately look for a way to visualise my inner thoughts. 

What has been your favourite collaboration?

I can’t say too much yet but it’s the next book that will be published by Twentyfour Thirtysix. We are partnering with a cultural platform that I have been obsessed with for years. What we’re creating is so special, I’m really excited.

What is your greatest achievement?

I don’t think that I have achieved enough to have a greatest just yet, but when a photograph of my parents from my Ile away from Uno series was selected to be shown at Tate Britain, I felt an overwhelming sense of pride that I hadn’t felt before. I know that if my Uncle Billy were still here it would be all he would talk about for weeks on end.

What is your greatest regret?

I don’t make enough time for my extended family as I should. Both of my parents come from big families so it’s always been hard to keep in touch with them all. One of my closest aunties, Iya Lekan, passed away a few years ago and whenever I have ogbono soup I fume that I never took her up on her invite to learn how to cook it.

What advice would you give to your younger self?

Believe in yourself and your talent. Comparing yourself to others is a waste of valuable time, and continue to support your creative peers as you’re all in this together.

What is your latest project about?

My first book, Omo Nigeria, has just been published. Three years ago, I self-funded a trip to Lagos to teach photography at two primary schools. The book shows the results of the children’s lessons in the form of fashion shoots that they conceptualised, styled and shot themselves, together with my portraits of them. The project became unexpectedly personal for me, as it forced me to consider my childhood in West London and how different it would have been growing up in West Africa instead.

I commissioned an essay from writer Kelechi Okafor, a poem from Jolade Olusanya, and transcribed a family conversation with my mum: the book deals with my questions of identity, childhood and citizenship.

What are you researching at the moment?

Since starting Twentyfour Thirtysix, I have been spending a lot of time finding and discovering new artists from the subtropics and tropics. There is so much talent that gets overlooked by mainstream publishers.

What can you not work without?

Knowing that I have a break booked for that month. I’m aware that travelling is a privilege and its one that I don’t take for granted. But with juggling careers, I often feel overwhelmed and overworked, so a few days of organised rest helps me to reset. Also, a lot of my personal work is heavily influenced by travel. As cliché as it sounds, I’m really interested in learning about other cultures and finding similarities between the two I was raised in.

What challenges have you faced working in your industry?

Fortunately, I haven’t faced any major challenges, rejection is never nice but as the saying goes: one door must close before another can open. However, imposter syndrome has become an occurring theme for me in the recent years, which is a personal challenge I’m constantly trying to overcome.

What are you hoping for in 2022?

Consistency! We have a lot of plans for Twentyfour ThirtySix and I have the same for my personal work. I’ve got an awful habit of sitting on work for months (if not years) which I’m desperate to break. I genuinely love creating and need to get into the swing of doing that for myself and now others with Twentyfour Thirtysix.

Share a song with us, what are you listening to at the moment?

1er Gaou by Magic System.

I had my first dance-off to this song in my cousin’s compound in Lagos, but weirdly I always thought the song was called ‘Makosa’. It’s the perfect length and not too distracting to work to—I can’t work to most Afrobeats because I just end up dancing.