[Yoruba: Freeborn Ijebu-Ode son,] [of true Ogbogbo Clan,] [whose wealth and resources surpass all that Europe ever had,] [whose altar is filled with gold.]
(Joruba) Rođen slobodan, sin Idžebu-Ode, od pravog klana Ogbogbo, čije bogatstvo i sredstva nadmašuju sve što je Evropa ikada imala, čiji je oltar ispunjen zlatom.
This chant is called the oríkì. My grandmother used to sing it to me when I was a child in Nigeria. See, an oríkì is the song of praise of the Yoruba people, and this particularly speaks of treasures that the West does not have.
Ova pesma se zove oriki. Moja baka mi ju je pevala kada sam bio dete u Nigeriji. Vidite, oriki je hvalospev jorupskog naroda, a ovaj osobito govori o bogatstvima koja Zapad nema.
Mama -- that's what I call my grandmother -- told me many stories about Yoruba mythology. You see, the Yorubas are an ethnic group from the southwestern part of Nigeria, and I was always fascinated by these stories. I was always intrigued. And Yoruba culture has inspired my art since I was a child. You see, African art is not just what you buy at Harlem markets in New York. Every artist has a name, and every artist has a story. This is my story.
Mama - tako zovem svoju baku - mi je ispričala mnogo priča o jorupskoj mitologiji. Vidite, Jorube su etnička grupa iz jugozapadnog dela Nigerije, a ja sam uvek bio opčinjen ovim pričama. Uvek sam bio zaintrigiran. Jorupska kultura inspiriše moju umetnost otkada sam bio dete. Afrička umetnost nije samo ono što kupujete na pijacama u Harlemu u Njujorku. Svaki umetnik ima ime i svaki umetnik ima priču. Ovo je moja priča.
See, mama had tattoos on her arms and her legs. As a child, I thought she was born with them, with beautiful black lines and detailed symbols. And then she told me that they were actually symbols from the Yoruba mythology. I never knew how this was going to influence the artist that I am today. You see, as a young child, I saw art everywhere. I remember the house we lived in in Ilorin, in Stadium Road. We had marble floors, and you know, I would look at the marble floors, and I would see all sorts of patterns and designs in it, and I thought everybody could see them. So I would call my brother, and I would be like, "Ikeolu, come and see this marble design, see this pattern, see this mask." And he would tell me, "Laolu, I don't see anything." So I would use ink, and I would trace out what I saw on the floor. And then when my mom noticed, she got really upset.
Vidite, mama je imala tetovaže na rukama i nogama. Kao dete, mislio sam da je bila rođena sa njima, sa lepim crnim linijama i detaljnim simbolima. I onda mi je rekla da su oni, u stvari, simboli iz jorupske mitologije. Nisam ni znao kako će ovo uticati na umetnika koji sam danas postao. Vidite, kao dete, svugde sam video umetnost. Sećam se kuće u kojoj smo živeli na putu Stadion u Ilorinu. Imali smo mermerne podove i, znate, gledao bih te mermerne podove, video bih razne vrste šara i dezena na njima i mislio sam da su svi mogli da ih vide. Pozvao bih svog brata i rekao bih mu: „Ikeolu, dođi da vidiš ovaj dezen na mermeru, ovu šaru i ovu masku.“ A on bi mi rekao: „Laolu, ja ništa ne vidim.“ Koristio bih mastilo i iscrtavao bih ono što sam video na podu, ali kada je moja mama to primetila, veoma se uznemirila.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
But that didn't stop me. I switched from ink to chalk, because I got in trouble a lot with my teachers and my parents. So I remember my mom said, "Laolu, we are Christians. Why don't you draw like other people? Why don't you draw landscapes or maybe you draw chairs or furniture, or maybe even draw Jesus?"
Ali, to me nije zaustavilo. Zamenio sam mastilo kredom jer sam često upadao u nevolje sa nastavnicima i roditeljima. Sećam se da je moja mama rekla: „Laolu, mi smo hrišćani. Zašto ne crtaš kao drugi ljudi? Zašto ne crtaš pejzaže, ili bi možda mogao da crtaš stolicu ili nameštaj, ili možda čak Isusa?“
You know, I could paint the whole house if I had a chance, but when I grew up, I knew being an artist was not an option, so I wanted to be the person my parents wanted me to be, so I went to law school. Of course, that's my dad there. He was so proud that day. And this was what my notebooks looked like in law school.
Znate, mogao sam naslikati celu kuću da sam imao priliku, ali kada sam odrastao, znao sam da biti umetnik nije bila opcija, pa sam želeo da budem ono što su moji roditelji želeli da budem i studirao sam pravo. Naravno, to je moj tata. Bio je tako ponosan tog dana. A ovako su moje sveske izgledale na pravnom fakultetu.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
Of course I would miss classes, and I would make up excuses why I wasn't going to class.
Naravno, izostajao bih sa nastave i izmišljao bih izgovore zašto nisam išao na časove.
But when I started working at the Human Rights Commission as a human rights attorney, my mind was elsewhere. I saw a very tough reality. I worked with children who had to choose between getting an education and actually being forced into marriage. I was so frustrated seeing all the injustice around me, and my only outlet was art, so I started painting.
Ali, kada sam počeo da radim u Komisiji za ljudska prava kao advokat za ljudska prava, moje misli su bile drugde. Video sam veoma surovu stvarnost. Radio sam sa decom koja su morala da biraju između školovanja ili da budu prisiljena da se venčaju. Bio sam toliko frustriran videvši svu tu nepravdu oko sebe i moj jedini ventil je bila umetnost, pa sam počeo da slikam.
This piece is called "Dreamscape." So when you zoom into this piece, you're going to see a girl child and the accidental birth, the fact that our future is controlled by where we are born. Now, the next one you see a man and a man holding hands, a woman and a woman holding hands. You see, in Nigeria, same-sex relationship is criminalized. You can actually get 14 years for that.
Ova slika se zove „Beg u snove“. Kada izbliza pogledate ovu sliku, videćete devojčicu i slučajno poreklo, činjenicu da je naša budućnost određena mestom rođenja. Na sledećoj vidite dva muškarca koja se drže za ruke, dve žene koje se drže za ruke. Vidite, u Nigeriji, veza sa osobom istog pola je krivično delo. Možete, u stvari, dobiti 14 godina zatvora za to.
With my art, I like to tell stories. Through my art, I like to start a conversation. So in this one, you see the map of Africa, you see the questions, you see crying, and there you see syringes plugged into Africa and the natural resources being drained out. So I asked myself, where does it go? Who benefits from all of this? You see, with my art, the way I weave my art around the patterns, the masks, the stories, and the way I use my lines, it's all from the Yoruba culture.
Svojom umetnošću volim da pričam priče. Kroz svoju umetnost volim da započnem razgovor. Na ovoj slici vidite mapu Afrike, vidite pitanja, vidite plakanje, i tamo vidite špriceve zabodene u Afriku i prirodna bogatstva koja se iscrpljuju. Pitao sam se: „Gde odlaze? Ko ima korist od svega ovoga?“ Vidite, moja umetnost, način na koji tkam svoju umetnost oko šara, maski, priča, i koristim linije - sve je to iz jorupske kulture.
So in 2013, I made a big gamble. I quit my job and I moved to New York City to practice art full time. Of course, my parents were like, "Oh, [it's just a phase.] He'll come back." But life as an artist in New York was not easy, because I was broke, no money, no gallery agents, no representation, so no gallery would show my work. So I thought to myself, I need to survive. So I started painting on clothes to make a living. I started painting on shoes. I started customizing things for people. And then soon I realized the power, because people were so proud to wear their stories. So I started painting on everything. I painted on guitars, I started doing murals, anything I could find my hand on I painted, and everything became my canvas.
Godine 2013. sam rizikovao. Dao sam otkaz i preselio se u Njujork da se u potpunosti posvetim umetnosti. Naravno, moji roditelji su rekli: (Joruba) „To je samo faza. Vratiće se.“ Međutim, život umetnika u Njujorku nije bio lak jer sam bio bez prebijene pare, bez novca, bez galerijskih agenata, bez zastupnika, pa galerije nisu bile zainteresovane. Pomislio sam u sebi - moram da preživim. Počeo sam da oslikavam odeću da zaradim za život. Počeo sam da oslikavam obuću. Počeo sam da radim po narudžbini i uskoro sam stekao moć jer su ljudi bili toliko ponosni da nose svoje priče. Počeo sam sve da oslikavam. Oslikavao sam gitare, počeo sam da radim murale, oslikavao sam sve što mi je palo pod ruke i sve je postalo moje platno.
So one day, I was just going on my Instagram feed, and I saw this picture. It was Reign. She took a picture standing in front my art, and the moment I saw that photo, something happened in that moment. I could actually see my artwork go into her and come out of her literally, and that's how I started painting on human bodies. As a child I saw art on the marble floors, I saw art on walls, but now I see art on people's faces and people's bodies. I remember my grandmother, and I realized that most of my creative instincts were actually based on my childhood memories and the art on my grandmother's skin.
Tako sam jednog dana samo proveravao svoj Instagram i video sam ovu fotografiju. Bila je to Rejn. Fotografisala se stojeći ispred moje slike, i kada sam video tu fotografiju, nešto se dogodilo. Mogao sam zapravo videti kako moje umetničko delo bukvalno ulazi i izlazi iz nje, i tako sam počeo da oslikavam ljudska tela. Kao dete, video sam umetnost na mermernim podovima, video sam umetnost na zidovima, ali sada vidim umetnost na licima i telima ljudi. Sećam se svoje bake i shvatio sam da je većina mojih kreativnih poriva u stvari zasnovana na mojim uspomenama iz detinjstva i na umetnosti na bakinoj koži.
Now I look at all the people I painted, and I think to myself, like, what would it look like if we all walked around like gods and goddesses from Yoruba mythology? And boom, that's how The Sacred Art of the Ori was born. You see, Ori in Yoruba mythology means your soul, it means your essence, it means your instincts. And I realized that only when you tap into your Ori, then you can actually move mountains. So there's something so immediate about painting on human bodies. It's like art in motion. It's like a 3D experience.
Sada gledam sve ljude koje sam oslikao i pomislim u sebi kako bi bilo ako bismo svi hodali unaokolo kao bogovi i boginje iz jorupske mitologije. I bum, tako je rođena „Sveta umetnost ori“. Vidite, „ori“ u jorupskoj mitologiji označava vašu dušu, suštinu i porive. Shvatio sam da jedino ako osluškujete svoj „ori“, možete, u stvari, stvoriti čuda. Postoji nešto tako neposredno u oslikavanju ljudskih tela. To je kao umetnost u pokretu. To je kao trodimenzionalno iskustvo.
So one day, I was just doing my regular work in Brooklyn, and I got an email that said, "Hi, I'm a big fan of your work. Would you like to paint for my music video? Signed, Beyoncé." Like, Beyoncé emailed me. I was like, what?
Tako sam jednog dana radio kao i obično u Bruklinu i dobio sam imejl koji je glasio: „Zdravo, veliki sam obožavalac tvog rada. Da li bi želeo da slikaš za moj novi spot?“ U potpisu - Bijonse. Bijonse mi je poslala imejl. Pomislio sam: „Šta?“
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
I was like, what, how did she even know me? I thought this can't be true. Of course I thought it was a scam. The Nigerian in me was like, nah.
Pomislio sam: „Kako je, uopšte, znala za mene? Ovo ne može biti istina. Mora da je prevara.“ Nigerijac u meni je pomislio - jok.
(Laughter)
(Smeh)
(Applause)
(Aplauz)
But incredibly enough, it was real, it was true, and things happened really fast. You see, Beyoncé wanted to pay homage to New Orleans, and my art reminded her of her creole origins. So when "Lemonade" dropped, of course, boom, everything just went from zero to 100 real fast. People featured me in magazines, interviews. People stopped me in the street. People knew my name, like -- And sometimes I had to step back and just chill, and, like, take everything in. You know, as artists, we work so hard all our lives for our art to be recognized, and for this I feel blessed. However, the attorney in me is still there, so I use my art to fight for what I believe in. My Yoruba heritage is always there.
Iako neverovatno, bilo je stvarno, bilo je istinito, i sve se dogodilo veoma brzo. Vidite, Bijonse je želela da oda poštu Nju Orleansu i moja umetnost ju je podsetila na njeno kreosko poreklo. Kada je album „Limunada“ objavljen, naravno, bum, sve se ubrzalo od 0 do 100 veoma brzo. Postao sam glavna zvezda u časopisima i intervjuima. Ljudi su me zaustavljali na ulici. Ljudi su znali moje ime. Nekada sam morao da se povučem i samo da se opustim i razmislim o svemu. Kao umetnici, radimo toliko naporno ceo svoj život da bi naša umetnost bila priznata, i zato se osećam blagosloveno. Ipak, advokat je još uvek u meni, tako da koristim svoju umetnost da se borim za ono u šta verujem. Moje jorupsko nasleđe je uvek tu.
I'd like to share with you tonight some of my art in motion. Please, welcome with me on stage.
Voleo bih da večeras podelim sa vama deo svoje umetnosti u pokretu. Molim vas, dobrodošle na binu sa mnom.
(Music)
(Muzika)
(Applause)
(Aplauz)
Now, this is Geli, and this is Reign. These are the first two people I ever painted in my life, and I spent the past day painting on them. Tonight, they represent my hopes and my fears. Now, I put my fears on the back. I put my hopes in front. What are my hopes? I hope that people know that Africa is not just one huge, nameless continent that is all the same. I also hope that people know that in Nigeria, we have over 350 ethnic groups and languages, and I am just one artist from one of them.
Ovo je Dželi, a ovo je Rejn. One su prvo dvoje ljudi koje sam ikada oslikao u svom životu, i proveo sam jučerašnji dan oslikavajući ih. Večeras one predstavljaju moje nade i moje strahove. Stavio sam svoje strahove na leđa. [Nasilje, rasizam, neznaje, neuspeh, seksizam] Stavio sam svoje nade napred. [Sloboda, ljubav] Koje su moje nade? Nadam se da ljudi znaju da Afrika nije samo jedan ogroman bezimeni kontinent koji je u potpunosti isti. Takođe se nadam da ljudi znaju da u Nigeriji imamo preko 350 etničkih grupa i jezika i da sam ja samo jedan umetnik iz jedne od njih.
(Applause)
(Aplauz)
I also hope that you know that I hope I will be able to change the way people talk about African art on the continent and here, and I hope you know that African art is not just what you buy at Harlem markets in New York and that every piece of art you see has a story, and every artist has a name.
Takođe se nadam da znate da se nadam da ću uspeti da promenim način na koji ljudi pričaju o afričkoj umetnosti na kontinentu i ovde i nadam se da znate da afrička umetnost nije samo ono što kupujete na pijacama u Harlemu u Njujorku i da svako umetničko delo koje vidite ima priču, i da svaki umetnik ima ime.
Thank you very much.
Hvala vam puno.
(Applause)
(Aplauz)