In Lagos, a new creative voice is challenging the boundaries of contemporary art. Sanjo Lawal, barely thirty years old, has managed to position himself as one of the most singular African photographers of his generation. His artistic approach does not rely on sophisticated cameras or expensive studios, but on the everyday object in everyone's pocket: a mobile phone.
Lawal began experimenting with images when he was still a teenager. Since then, his gaze has evolved towards a visual language in which African mythologies, spirituality and a direct realism that moves us with its narrative force intersect. The result is intense scenes that dialogue with the ancestral without renouncing the contemporary.
The secret of his aesthetic lies in the fusion of photography and found materials. Recycled scraps, flowers, fabrics and pigments are integrated into the composition to reinforce the dreamlike character of his pieces. This mixture gives his works a sculptural and tactile air, as if the images transcend the two-dimensional plane to become living objects.
Beyond technique, each of Lawal's projects points to a cultural claim. His portraits, loaded with symbols, explore African identity from an angle of dignity and resistance. With intense colours and unexpected scenographies, he manages to transform the everyday into a visual manifesto.
Although his career has developed in Nigeria, the echo of his work already crosses borders. International fairs, galleries and specialised publications have recognised his ability to renew artistic photography from a radically personal approach. His career confirms that art does not depend on technological means, but on the gaze.
Lawal embodies the paradox of the contemporary creator: he uses a common tool, an iPhone, but builds with it a symbolic universe that connects tradition and modernity. His work demonstrates that innovation, in sensitive hands, can emerge from the most unexpected.
Source: africandigitalart.com; wanawari.org