Dr Rolake Osabia is an independent researcher, writer and artist with a PhD in English Literature from University College London (UCL). Rolake’s doctoral research explored representations of isolation, loneliness and (elective) kinship in contemporary Black British women’s writing, drawing on works by Yrsa Daley-Ward, Bernardine Evaristo, Winsome Pinnock and Zadie Smith. Her interdisciplinary work combines her painting practice with archival research methodologies to accompany literary and theoretical analysis.
In November 2025, she was awarded the NACBS Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship. With the award, she will curate two community-oriented shows, a group exhibition, Supplying the Colour and a solo show, Isolation and Kinship.
