[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.]
(約魯巴語)在伊傑布奧德 自由出生的孩子, 是真正的歐柏柏氏族, 其財富與資源遠超過 歐洲所有的全部, 其聖壇金碧輝煌。
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.
(英語)這曲吟誦叫做 oríkì。 我小時候在奈及利亞時, 祖母會唱给我聽。 Oríkì 是約魯巴人唱頌的讚美詩歌, 它特別會陳述西方所沒有的珍寶。
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.
嬤嬤──我這樣稱呼我祖母── 她告訴我許多約魯巴的神話故事。 約魯巴族是奈及利亞 西南部的一個種族, 這些故事總能讓我入迷。 我總會被吸引。 從小時候,約魯巴文化就是 我藝術創作的靈感來源。 非洲藝術並不只是你在 紐約哈林市集購買的東西。 每個藝術家都有一個名字, 每個藝術家都有一個故事。 這是我的故事。
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.
嬤嬤的手臂上與腿上都有刺青。 小時候,我以她出生時就有刺青, 就有這些漂亮的黑色 線條和精緻的符號。 然後她告訴我, 它們是約魯巴神話的符號。 我那時不知道,這會影響到我 現今會變成一個怎樣的藝術家。 小時候,我在哪裡都能看見藝術。 我記得我們在伊洛林 位於體育場路上的房子。 我們有大理石地板, 我會看著大理石地板, 我會端詳上頭的各種圖案跟圖樣, 我以為每個人都能看到。 所以我會找來我哥,說: 「依克魯,來看看這個大理石 圖樣,看看這圖案、這裝飾。」 他會說:「勞努,我什麼也沒看見。」 我就會用墨水把 我看到的紋路描出來。 我母親發現時,她很不高興。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
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?"
但那並沒有阻止我。 我把墨水換成粉筆, 因為我時常惹怒我的老師跟父母。 我記得我媽媽說: 「勞努,我們是基督徒。 你為何不學其他人那樣畫畫? 你為何不畫風景,或者, 也許椅子或家具, 或許你可以畫耶穌呀?」
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.
若有機會,我一定會畫滿整間屋子, 但,長大後,我知道 要當藝術家是不可能的, 所以我想成為我父母期待的那個人, 所以我去唸法學院。 當然,這是我的父親, 他那天好驕傲。 而我在法學院上課的 筆記本是這個樣子的。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
Of course I would miss classes, and I would make up excuses why I wasn't going to class.
當然,我會翹課, 我會找理由說明我為什麼不去上課。
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.
但當我開始在人權委員會工作, 擔任人權律師, 我的心卻在其他地方。 我看到很艱困的現實。 我的工作會接觸到孩童, 他們得要在接受教育 和被迫結婚之間擇一。 看到身邊這麼多不公平, 讓我感到挫折, 我唯一的出口就是藝術, 所以我開始畫畫。
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.
這件作品叫做「夢景」。 當你放大看這件作品, 會看到一個小女孩, 與意外的出生, 我們的未來由我們的出生地所掌控。 下一個會看到的是兩個男人手牽手, 兩個女人手牽手。 在奈及利亞,同性關係被視為犯罪。 可能因此被判 14 年徒刑。
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.
我想藉由藝術來說故事。 我想藉由藝術來開啟對話。 在這件作品上可以看到非洲地圖, 可以看到問號,看到哭泣, 在那裡有注射器插入非洲, 自然資源被抽光。 我問我自己:這條路通往哪裡? 誰能從中受益? 透過我的藝術, 我用圖案、裝飾,與故事 來編織我的藝術的方式, 及我運用線條的方式, 全都源自約魯巴文化。
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.
在 2013 年,我下了個大賭注。 我辭了工作、搬到紐約市, 全職去做藝術工作。 當然,我父母說: 「喔,這只是個過程,他會回來的。」 但在紐約,藝術家的日子並不好過, 因為我破產了, 沒有錢、沒有畫廊經紀人、沒有代表, 所以沒有畫廊肯展出我的作品。 我心想,我得要生存下去。 所以,我開始在衣服上畫畫來維生。 我開始在鞋子上畫畫。 我開始為顧客做客製化商品。 很快地,我了解了這種力量, 因為能把自己的故事 穿在身上是很令人驕傲的事。 所以我開始在各種東西上畫畫。 我在吉他上畫畫, 我開始畫壁畫, 我在任何我能接觸到的東西上畫畫, 什麼都能成為我的畫布。
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.
有一天,我正在看我的 Instagram, 我看到了這張照片。 那是蕾。她站在我的畫前拍照, 我看到這張照片的那一刻, 有某種現象發生了。 我看到我的藝術作品 進入她,再從她出來, 我就這麼開始了人體彩繪。 小時候,我在大理石 地板上看見藝術, 我在牆上看見藝術, 現在,我在人的臉上 與身體上看見藝術。 我想起我的祖母, 我才發現,我大多數的創意直覺 其實都奠基於我兒時的回憶, 及我祖母皮膚上的藝術。
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.
現在,我看著被我彩繪的人,心想: 如果我們都像約魯巴 神話中的男神和女神一樣, 到處走來走去,會是什麼樣子? 於是,「讚頌的神聖藝術」 就這麼誕生了。 在約魯巴神話中, 讚頌意味著你的靈魂、 你的本質、你的直覺。 我了解到,只有 當你去發掘你的讚頌, 你才會可能移動山岳。 人體創作藝術有種當下的特性。 就像是在動的藝術。 就像是 3D 的體驗,
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?
有一天,我一如往常 在布魯克林工作, 我收到一封信,寫著: 「嗨,我很迷你的作品。 你願意為我的音樂錄影帶作畫嗎? 署名:碧昂絲。」 碧昂絲寫信給我, 我的反應是,什麼?!
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
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.
我在想,她怎麼可能知道我? 當然我不認為這是真的,一定是騙局。 我的奈及利亞魂告訴我,不可能。
(Laughter)
(笑聲)
(Applause)
(掌聲)
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.
但很不可思議,結果那是真的。 事情發生得很快。 碧昂絲希望向紐奧良致敬, 而我的藝術讓她想到 她的克里奧爾血統。 所以,當「檸檬特調」專輯推出, 一切馬上從 0 飆到 100。 雜誌主打我的故事, 訪談。 在街上有人攔下我。 人們知道我的名字── 有時我得退一步, 冷靜一下,再接收這一切。 身為藝術家,我們一輩子都在 努力讓自己的藝術能被認同, 在這方面我很幸運。 然而,我體內仍然有著律師魂, 所以,我用我的藝術 來為我的信念而戰。 我的約魯巴傳統遺產一直都在。
I'd like to share with you tonight some of my art in motion. Please, welcome with me on stage.
今晚我想與各位分享 我的一些動態藝術作品。 請與我一起歡迎她們上台。
(Music)
(音樂)
(Applause)
(掌聲)
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.
這位是婕莉,這位是蕾。 她們是我人生中最早彩繪的兩個人, 我昨天一整天都在畫她們。 今晚,她們代表 我的希望及我的恐懼。 我把我的恐懼放在背後。 我把我的希望放在前面。 我的希望是什麼? 我希望大家能知道, 非洲不只是一塊巨大的無名大陸, 且到處都一樣。 我也希望大家能知道, 在奈及利亞,我們有 超過 350 個種族和語言, 而我只是來自其中 一個種族的一個藝術家。
(Applause)
(掌聲)
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.
我還希望各位了解, 我期待我能夠改變 大家談論非洲藝術時的方式, 包括在非洲及在這裡, 我希望各位知道,非洲藝術 不只是在紐約哈林市集 能買到的東西而已, 每件藝術品都有一個故事, 每個藝術家都有一個名字。
Thank you very much.
非常感謝。
(Applause)
(掌聲)