ISKANCHI DESIGN PRIZE - THE SHORTLIST

ISKANCHI DESIGN PRIZE - THE SHORTLIST

The visual and the literary have always been in conversation. The choices made by artists and designers often shape how stories are embraced, talked about, and remembered. At Iskanchi Press, we value this relationship between art and literature. We see art and cover design as part of the literary process, not an afterthought.

The Iskanchi Design Prize was created to highlight and support artists whose work engages meaningfully with literature. For this edition, the shortlisted artists were invited to create visual responses to Unathi Slasha’s The Hollow Sound of Lightweight Bodies, a novel that moves between the everyday and the surreal, drawing on humour, myth, and human vulnerability.

Their submitted works reflect different artistic languages and approaches. Each artist brought their own way of seeing, thinking, and interpreting the themes of the book. Below are their bios.

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ARTIST BIOS AND STATEMENT

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HERMANN PAUL AYOMIPOSI

Hermann Paul Ayomiposi is a Lagos-born illustrator whose work is driven by emotion, clarity, and a deep love for visual storytelling. He began his artistic journey with traditional mediums before embracing digital tools such as Procreate, Sketchbook, and Adobe Fresco, which now shape the core of his practice. For Hermann, illustration is not simply a craft. It is a central part of his identity and a way of engaging with the world. He approaches each piece with the intention of moving the viewer, creating images that feel vibrant, expressive, and alive. His commitment to the possibilities of digital art continues to guide his growth as he builds a body of work marked by energy, colour, and emotional resonance.

- Statement

Hermann’s response to the novel brings together the protagonist’s journey and South African folklore. The silhouette at the center becomes an entry point into a world where myth and lived experience overlap. Figures like Baba Bouka appear as guides, while patterned dreamscapes echo the shifting reality that defines the book.

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SULOLA IMRAN ABIOLA

Sulola Imran Abiola holds a B.Ed Degree in Social Studies Education from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. He engages in digital art and poetry as a way of expressing his mind. His works have appeared in The Quills, Lumiere Review, Wondrous Real Magazine, ARTmosterrific, Kaedi Africa, Best of Africa, Inkspired Anthology, Odd Mag, Macro Magazine, The Roadrunner Review, Olney Magazine, Lemonspouting Magazine, Acta Victoriana and numerous other publications, with more forthcoming. He believes everyone is a born creative.

- Statement

Sulola works with fragmented colours and mosaic-like forms to explore themes of vulnerability and connection. His interpretation reflects the novel’s focus on resilience, fractured identities, and the emotional bonds that hold people together even in shifting or surreal conditions.

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OMORUYI EUGENE AGHIMIEN

Omoruyi Eugene Aghimien is a Nigerian visual artist and UX/Product designer whose practice bridges art, design, and sustainability. As an Arts Fellow at Mountain Top University in Ogun State, he explores the creative potential of waste and fibrous materials in contemporary visual narratives. His work reflects a commitment to environmental awareness, cultural identity, and innovative design thinking.

- Statement:

Eugene’s work focuses on the fragile space between presence and disappearance. His dissolving colours and soft transitions mirror the book’s themes of uncertainty, identity in flux, and the tension between silence and sound. The solitary figure becomes a Study in how bodies transform across emotional and psychological terrains.

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ADEBAYO GBENGA

Adebayo Gbenga is an editorial designer with more than seven years of experience. He has worked with authors, publishers, and agencies globally, including The Sun Newspaper, Narrative Landscape Press, Jonathan Ball Publishers, and TBLNG Press, where he combined his love for literature and art to create engaging designs. He designed the cover for Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Dream Count, Femi Otedola’s Making It Big, Olusegun Obasanjo's The Art of Leading, and Damilare Kuku's Women Rent Men, Secrets Here, and Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad. He has been interviewed by BellaNaija and Brittle Paper for his book cover designs.  Instagram: oluwagbenga__sg.

- Statement

Gbenga’s interpretation considers how readers enter a story shaped by disorientation and emotional movement. His composition works to balance structure with the novel’s unpredictable world, guiding the viewer into a space where shifting realities begin to make visual sense.

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HANIEL E. NYAUTA

Haniel E. Nyauta is a visual communicator with over five years experience as a graphic designer specialising in Book Cover Design, illustration and Publication Design. His work is characterised by multiple interconnected themes and elements that serve as maps of meaning for interpreting the work. He uses his skills as a designer to help those with meaningful messages they want to share with the world, to communicate them in a manner that connects with audiences and enables them to not just hear the message but experience it. He is driven by a strong desire to tell stories that matter to the people who care, and his means of storytelling is the click, drag and stroke.

Haniel E. Nyauta.

- Statement

Haniel’s piece draws on the darker atmosphere of the novel. Graveyard silhouettes, distorted textures, and a bright alternate sky show the protagonist moving between reality and dream. Stars within the silhouette act as symbols of navigation, highlighting the book’s blend of myth, uncertainty, and the surreal.

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