(1992 - 2017)
Born in London, Khadija Saye, also known as Ya-Haddy Sisi Saye, was a Gambian-British artist, educator and activist. She died in the Grenfell Tower fire in London, on 14 June 2017, aged 24. Despite her young age, she had achieved growing recognition as a talented artist who had produced significant work, showing extraordinary promise for the future. Saye was the youngest exhibitor in the Diaspora Pavilion at the 2017 Venice Biennale, where her works were shown alongside those of established artists including Isaac Julien, Yinka Shonibare and Barbara Walker.
At the age of seven, Saye joined the Carnival Arts Programme run by the London-based organisation, IntoUniversity, and which she attended every summer for over ten years. Through IntoUniversity, she was awarded an Arnold Foundation Scholarship for sixth form at Rugby School where she discovered her interest in photography. Saye graduated with a degree in photography from the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham, Surrey.
Since her death, Saye’s work has been exhibited at Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge in 2018; at a special outdoor display in Westbourne Grove, London, in 2020; and at the British Library as part of the exhibition, 'Unfinished Business: The Fight for Women's Rights' in 2020-21.
In 2018, in memory of the artist, Khadija Saye Arts at IntoUniversity was launched. Founded by artist Nicola Green, who was Saye’s mentor and friend, and IntoUniversity, the programme supports and inspires arts-focused activities at IntoUniversity centres across the UK.
