Photographer Simon – Fashion Editor Chiara Spennato – Talent Soldier – Grooming Cristina Bertaggia – Photography Assistant Simona Pavan – Fashion Assistant Eleonora Marinelli – Interview by Francesca Jude Fusetti // Total Look Stone Island
Do you remember the first time you tried to do something creative? What were you doing? How did you feel?
The first time I did something creative was when I was six years old, my dad had this office and this little white paper. His office was in the church, so I went there and started drawing buildings, creating my own dream house. I think that’s the first creative thing I remember doing.
One of your projects from last year is called ‘Metamorphosis’ (November 2024), in which you painted different children’s faces with face paint you remembered from your childhood. What’s been the biggest change and ‘mutation’ you felt in your life?
I guess the biggest change I went through was leaving Lagos, Nigeria where I was born to come over to Europe, I actually was travelling around the world for a second. So by doing that, I went from only knowing Nigerian traditions to meeting all kinds of people and getting to know their needs.
What’s your favourite medium to represent your art? You’ve done installations, clothing design, sculptures, and of course, paintings. Which one do you think represents you the most?
I’d say that painting is amazing, I do love painting, but also I love sculpting. It’s a really hard question because I love everything, but if I have to pick one, it’d be painting.
What’s the force that drives your creativity?
It’s honesty. I’m not a vulnerable person in real life, so I use my work as a way to be vulnerable. Also, I just don’t want to be poor (Laughs, E.D.). I’ll be honest with you, I want to make my own thing. Whenever I wake up in the morning I see a cup, or laptop, all these things and people’s ideas, I want to add to that.
What’s an encounter that’s changed your life? Who pushed you to the conclusion that art is what you’re supposed to do?
I’d say meeting my friend Skepta. I met him when I was 16. It was the first time I ever came across an artist. He’s a musician who’s been doing music for a long time and is very successful, and that was my very first ‘Okay, cool.’ He’s just this amazing human being, you know, and he’s done it…so I’m like, ‘Okay, I can do it too.
The way you handle your utensils for creating art is a sort of handshake, a sort of agreement between your hand and your tools to create something good. How does it feel when you hold them in your hands?
It feels good. In my studio it’s a bit OCD: every single thing, from the brushes to the paint, is sectioned and in different corners. Tools are important, organisation is important, so whenever I come to the studio in the morning, I pick up a paint brush, and I know it’s in that particular location…it makes me feel good, you know? It makes the whole process smooth.
Your latest work ‘First Contact’ from your second solo show ‘BLACKSTAR’, has a lot of fine technological details, reminding me of the precision of H.R. Giger’s paintings. Are you scared of the introduction of AI into the art world?
This might be very controversial to some people, but I kind of like the way the world is going with AI. I’m not really against it. I think it’s the same with graphic designers. They used to draw their fonts with their hands, but now they have Illustrator and computers. It didn’t destroy the job of graphic designer, it made it easier. AI is quite new and exciting, and I feel like people shouldn’t shut it down because it presents threats. I feel like man and technology can coexist, if the human being brings the spirit and soul, technology helps manifest that. With this exhibition, I want to capture what the future looks like to me, and as for the future, there’s a lot of critique. For example, AI uses a lot of power and that’s bad for the environment. There are pros and cons. I think I like a mix, both men and technology must coexist.
You get commissioned to do a lot of work for different fashion houses, including Louis Vuitton, while also working as a model. How does fashion contribute and expand your work?
You know, it’s all the same thing. Design, furniture, even where I am right now in Stone Island’s Milan showroom, everything is connected to arts, from the black to the blues to the greys, it’s the same as clothing. It’s another way of expressing yourself, and I think fashion is the easiest way to pull a creative idea out there that people can wear. So, for me it’s just kind of natural, you can do a painting, you can put it on a T-shirt, and it also works on a skate. So for me, any kind of easy thing, or any kind of means I can use to express myself, especially when it comes to fashion, I’ll take it, I’ll do it.
What’s a piece of advice you wish you had received when you started doing art?
Just start. Just keep going, and always learn, and always read. It’s amazing to be creative, and I wish I had known that it’s always good to back up what you’re doing with knowledge. As you make a painting, you can do your research, you can learn how to. Just always be consistent.
You certainly have a bright future ahead of you. What are some wishes you hope to see realised?
I want to do the Venice Biennale, that’s fire. I just want to keep it a secret. You’ll see.
