For the official afterparty of Afrikadag (Africaday), ‘Africa At Night’ I was asked to expose some of my work in the ‘Sugar Factory’ in Amsterdam. Afrikadag is the biggest event in The Netherlands that is about Africa and international collaborations. It is a day full of different kind of performances like music, poetry, dance and lectures that all have the same goal: sharing knowledge and thoughts about Africa.
It was quite short notice that Christian Nana asked me to expose, and I really wanted to show new work here. I already made a portrait of Fela Kuti in 2011 and I was planning to make more portraits of him anyways. So when I only had one month to paint a serie for ‘Africa At Night’, I figured that would be the best thing to do. I made 7 paintings that month, 3 portraits of fela and 4 portraits of some of his queens. The best add I could give to Afrikadag!
It was a good night, friends showed up to support me, my mother was there!, I did some bodypaint on visitors, people where interested in my work (also two men from Lagos! Too bad I hadn’t had the time to decide proper prices for my paintings, or else I would’ve sold some, oh well.. next time! It’s such an amazing feeling to know that people are truly interested), saw several performances (music and comedy), there was african food and overall a really warm and good vibe!
Last weekend I worked again for This Is Afrika via W.O.T.S./NoLimitzo at The Hague African Festival 2012.
This was the second time I did bodypaint-pieces at a festival, and it was interesting to have experienced the difference between them (Previous festival was Open Air Festival, read about it here) since they both had a different target-group and for example this time I worked a lot with kids and parents and the previous time it where all young (drunk/party/cool-with-everything/going wild) kinda people.
above pictures by Stephanie Afrifa, below pictures by me
So I am doing a project with my friend Angela Tellier (photographer) in which I bodypaint (improvise) people and she shoots portraits of them. This is a ‘making of’ video filmed and edited By Benjamin Thenu during my 4th session bodypainting my friend Claudio Ritfeld aka Claudius de KrentenKoning. After this he used it also for a performance during my neighbor Marvin’s houseparty where also a video was shooted which I will post soon!
Instragram previews of #11:11 Clyde Prince, #22:22 Jefferson Osei, #33:33 Paa Kofi and #44:44 Claudio Ritfeld
On may 26th and 27th I did bodypaint-pieces in the ‘This Is Africa’ area on the ‘Open Air Festival 2012′ in Amsterdam (Gaasperplas). These two days where amazing, it was my first time to work on a festival and together with the team we did a great job I think. All the people where really enthusiastic about our stage and came back the second day for more. People where standing in line for my body-paints all day and it was hard to catch a break. Let’s hope ‘Open Air’ will give even a bigger stage to ‘This Is Africa’ next year! Oh and the weather was a-ma-ziiinng!!
My new nextdoor neighbor and friend
Has been giving his living-room (actually more of his house, there’s a lounge & smoking-area too lol) rebuild as a small club. It was released during last NYE when we’d also organized a small party there and now that he has installed club lights as well it’s ready for the next (level) houseparty, somewhere in february I believe.
So more than a year ago, in june 2010 I started to draw random figures as I have been loving, and still love to do.. and most of the time I get inspired of what I am making in a world that lays between unawareness and awareness, and suddenly see something in those figures. This time I saw a man figure and added some shapes to make it look stronger. Than I added a woman next to it in the same style. The result is shown above, this is still my favorite illustration ever and a half year ago I made a painting of it
During Amsterdams “Nuit Blanche” art event last june Kim and I where shortly interviewed for De Brakke Grond’s newspaper/magazine. I had participated there in a group exposition together with “Slave”. Yesterday I remembered the fact that I was interviewed and got me an issue and there we where. The text is in dutch and quite funny. The interviewer for example wrote down: “african music, reggae “dance” and dupstep”. I ofcourse had told her that I like african music, reggae, ‘dancehall’ and dupstep.. Lol! Also she had added that Kim and I are going wild in Amsterdam’s nightlife ever since we got close friends.. That we have never said but the interviewer probably figured it would make the story a bit spicier I guess? Lol And she spelled Waris Dirie wrong.. But oh well, thanks for adding me with photo ánd link to my website in a well known/ important gallery newspaper! :)
First shoot I did styling for with another model than myself. Actually a bit silly that I post this now, since the agency I was with just stopped. I actually forgot to post this on my blog but it’s been on my portfolio since I have opened this website. Although I think some of you might haven’t seen it yet so I figured I post this anyway..
Tuesday, Art-day on olnuzola.com! Thought about which painting or illustration or other work I would post today, and since I was talking about ‘the mask’ yesterday, I remembered my painting called “Mask”!
A year and a half ago I sketched this illustration in one of my many many notebooks. It wasn’t with a concept of making a mask, it just arose out of making certain figures.
Then a half year ago I was going to expose during the Cinnamon Wednesday’s Afrique special and I wanted to make some extra paintings and came through the sketch and decided to paint it as well.
One and a half years ago, I read the story of Waris Dirie and it touched me deep..read about it here! That for me was a reason to paint her portrait a half year ago..
(The second was during Nuit Blanche Amsterdam 2011 at the De Brakkegrond of which I have no pictures unfortunately. But I have been interviewed and this will come at their newspaper somewhere in September. I will keep you posted!)
Me and friends looking at other work and in the background my work (green/yellow/black composition)
Was during a group exposition organized by Lftfld at the Chielerie in Amsterdam.
It was a pleasure to expose my work together with other great artists!
