Olaolu Slawn

Olaolu Akeredolu-Ale (born 24 October 2000^[1]), better known as Olaolu Slawn, is a British-Nigerian designer and artist. Most of his works include spray paint, large-scale pop art canvases, graffiti, caricatures and murals.^[2][3] In 2023, he became the youngest person to design the Britannia statuette for the annual BRIT awards.^[4]

Life and career

In his late-teens, Slawn worked at Wafflesncream, Nigeria's first skate shop. He met his friends Leo and Onyedi at the shop, and the three would create artwork, skate together, and make films. Eventually, they created an apparel group named Motherlan. The brand would gain popularity in Nigeria and received recognition from Virgil Abloh.^[5]

In 2018, Slawn moved to London and enrolled at Middlesex University to study graphic design in 2019. During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, he began to paint. Slawn would hand his artwork to people at parties and established a social media presence for his artwork.^[6]

He had his debut exhibition in September 2021 at Truman Brewery on Brick Lane. In an interview with The Face, he is quoted as saying, "I don’t even know why people want this shit ... I wouldn’t buy this shit. I just have no interest in my art. I make it so I can fuck about.”^{[7][8][9][10][11]}

In 2022, Skepta debuted his first painting on a collection for Sotheby's^[12] auction organized by Slawn for charity.^[13][14]

He was the statuette and set designer for the 2023 Brit Awards.^[15][16][17] On May 22, 2023, Slawn opened BeauBeau's Cafe, a family-run restaurant in East London that is named after his son.^[18] On 5 October 2023, on an interview with The Native, Slawn spoke on what Odumodu's mixtape Eziokwu meant to him, and how he channeled it, into the painting; when he was asked: He said “Eziokwu means hefty as far as I’m concerned. Undeniable, hefty, and very unapologetic. Those are the best three words I can use to describe it. It’s big energy.”^[19]

References

1. "Meet Slawn, the artist designing the new Brit Awards statuette". The Independent. 2023-02-11. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
2. "Slawn visits The BRIT School following the announcement that he has designed the 2023 BRIT award". BPI. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
3. Bromley, Joe (2022-02-04). "Slawn: the 'con-artist' who thanks Virgil Abloh for his success". Evening Standard. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
4. "Meet Olaolu Slawn, Nigerian who designed new Brit Awards statuette". Punch Newspapers. 2023-02-11. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
5. "Interview with Nigerian skate crew Motherlan for i-D's Get Up Stan Up Issue". i-d.vice.com. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
6. "An interview with artist Olaolu Slawn". The Face. 2021-11-29. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
7. "An interview with artist Olaolu Slawn". The Face. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
8. "Slawn – 10 Artworks, Bio & Shows on Artsy". www.artsy.net. Retrieved 2023-03-17.
9. Petty, Alex Sossah,Grace Ladoja,Felix. "Interview with Nigerian skate crew Motherlan for i-D's Get Up Stan Up Issue". i-d.vice.com. Retrieved 2023-03-11.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
10. "In the Studio With Slawn Talking Motherlan, Virgil & Making Cops Feel Stupid". Highsnobiety. 2021-05-28. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
11. "Motherlan: The Birthplace of Lagos Skating". The Guardian Nigeria News – Nigeria and World News. 2020-04-26. Retrieved 2023-03-11.
12. "Bobo n Jarrad Go To Church, Slawn, b. 2000". Sotheby's. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
13. Nasinde, Shama. "British rapper Skepta guest curates Sotheby's auction and debuts his first painting". CNN. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
14. "From Lagos to London, Oluola Slawn Is Living Wild". Hypebeast. 2022-11-25. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
15. "Brit Award statue is being compared to a penis and it's impossible not to see". LADbible. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
16. "Brit Awards: Harry Styles and Wet Leg lead male-dominated nominations". BBC News. 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2023-02-12.
17. Elliott, Martha (2022-11-24). "Discover the Brit Awards 2023 trophy design by Slawn". wallpaper.com. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
18. "Take a Look Inside Olaolu Slawn's New Beau Beaus Cafe in East London". Hypebeast. 2023-05-15. Retrieved 2023-06-26.
19. Native, The (5 October 2023). "NCVRD: How Olaolu Slawn created Odumodublvck's 'EZIOKWU'". The NATIVE. Retrieved 5 November 2023.

External links

• Official
• Slawn: All The Way to Sotheby's With Skepta From His Beginnings in Nigeria (short documentary film)