Laolu Senbanjo

Laolu (Olaolu) Senbanjo, also known as "Laolu NYC", is a Nigerian visual artist, musician, singer-songwriter and former human rights attorney. Senbanjo was born and raised in Ilorin, Nigeria by Yoruba parents. His father was a lawyer, his mother was a nurse. He grew up performing in his church's choir. While in school he had a music group called Light and Fire which performed original songs and covers. Quotes There’s a lot of codes and writing in what I do, and I want people to study it. I want it to end up in libraries and textbooks. art-diplomacy-laolu-senbanjo, uscpublicdiplomacy.org I tell a lot of people ‘your melanin is the paint. a-nigerian-artist-who-uses-the-skin-as-his-canvas.html, www.nytimes.com When you look at the negative space and see what I do with it, what shines through is the darkness of your skin. It gives it the contrast. a-nigerian-artist-who-uses-the-skin-as-his-canvas.html, www.nytimes.com There’s something Brooklyn does to you, to be honest, something about an artist here — either you evolve or you die. a-nigerian-artist-who-uses-the-skin-as-his-canvas.html, www.nytimes.com I created and adjusted the patterns based on the movement of the dancers. She was thrilled and that meant everything to me. a-nigerian-artist-who-uses-the-skin-as-his-canvas.html, www.nytimes.com A lot of my work is heavily influenced by the culture of my Yoruba heritage. a-nigerian-artist-who-uses-the-skin-as-his-canvas.html, www.nytimes.com If you tap into your Ori you can move mountains. a-nigerian-artist-who-uses-the-skin-as-his-canvas.html, www.nytimes.com It is a joy to now be able to say that Yoruba art is a language like renaissance art in Europe. That Sango, god of fire is comparable to the Greek god Zeus and so on. To be able to have conversations about Yoruba mythology and Yoruba art on the same platform as other art from cultures that are better known globally brings me great contentment. laolu-senbanjo-ori-art-nigerian, lifestyle.thecable.ng I think recognition cannot be overemphasised. One of the reasons I moved to New York was to find a way to open up my part of the world to new audiences. Partnerships and collaborations such as the ones I have participated in go a long way in shining a light on great work done on my continent and in places that are not entirely accessible to global media. laolu-senbanjo-ori-art-nigerian, lifestyle.thecable.ng There is definitely a kind of pressure that would cause one to conform to what others already expect of you. And admittedly, it wasn’t easy to “speak up” which in this case, do art that may not be immediately understood or recognized but that is true to who I am as an artist and as Yoruba. Over time, I have found that once people drop the guard that asks them to reject what they don’t know and instead seek to experience it, they begin to embrace the beauty that is found in discovery. laolu-senbanjo-ori-art-nigerian, lifestyle.thecable.ng I think that anyone is more impactful if they retain an honesty in who they are and where they are from. While the conversation on colonialism and its impact on artistic expression is well documented, there are nuanced conversations regarding choices that artists make now because of this impact. Some choose to “embrace” Osogbo style art very reminiscent of classic Yoruba art and other recognisable traditional Nigerian art, others create a fusion that includes art we refer to as “western”. The idea is to allow the artist to make autonomous decisions regarding their choices and for the artist to be assured within themselves that they are being true to who they are. laolu-senbanjo-ori-art-nigerian, lifestyle.thecable.ng External links Category:1982 births Category:Living people Category:Artists from Nigeria Category:Painters Category:Musicians from Nigeria Category:Performance artists Category:Activists from Nigeria Category:Lawyers from Nigeria Category:Human rights activists