Mayowa Lawal’s Alankara Artist Representation: Revealing The Muse Behind His Muse
“There’s no learning to art, you just have to understand how the art world works and I think that’s it. Just be free, do what you want to do, don’t stress.”
In the lively world where art and fashion meet, Lawal Mayowa stands out as a unique talent. Hailing from Ijebu-Ode and now based in Lagos, he has made a name for himself as a fine arts photographer, model, and artist who creatively uses Ankara fabric. Calling himself “Alankara,” Lawal brings together tradition and modern style in a way that speaks to both cultural roots and today’s trends.
It is no news that we are in the digital world. Digital artworks in different forms, like NFTs, have created a surreal value over the years. Mayowa Lawal is not just a digital artist but a Multi-Genre creative genius who has made a name for himself by augmenting the beauty of simple fabrics we often ignore.
The fabric—Ankara—serves as the canvas on which the love story of style and artistry unfolds. This lad has been able to fabricate the romance between art, color, and style by bringing captivating concepts to life.
To him, the Ankara fabric represents centuries of tradition and stands as a testament to the artistic brilliance of African design. His concepts synthesize traditional and modern styles, and his versatility knows no bounds.
It is interesting to know that his works are not confined to the Nigerian Market alone, as his art has traveled far and beyond the creator. First, Lawal’s art was featured in the famous Vogue Magazine, a book publisher in Germany also used his art as a book cover, and Apple also featured him.
Furthermore, he had a solo exhibition themed “Alankara” in Denmark, and his art was displayed in Italy. Let us remember that his artwork was also previewed in Shibuya, Tokyo. He has been featured in the Africandigitalart space and several online and offline magazines. To say he is a rising star is an understatement; he is the entire galaxy of the digital art planetary.
Join us on this journey as we explore the mind of the sensei, who masterfully intertwines art, style, and vivid colors in a captivating dance of self-expression.
Who Is The New Mayor Of Art County?
Lawal Mayor: I’m Mayowa Lawal, a fine arts photographer, and I often refer to myself as “Alankara.” Do you know what “alankara” means? He quizzed.
Yes, someone who uses the Ankara fabrics to create. Someone who indulges the Ankara fabric. And I weave it around my muses because I have a decent background as a muse. I’ve been a model myself a couple of times, even till now, because I do self-portraits a lot, but I leveraged my background on being a muse to try to weave these fabrics around people who are often mostly my brothers and friends just to depict the message I’m trying to pass. So basically, “Alankara” refers to someone who indulges in the Ankara fabric and enjoys doing so
What Is The Muse Behind Your Muse? The Core Inspiration Behind Your Art.
Lawal Mayor: It’s a lot because if I talk about it, I don’t think I can say everything. The major inspiration behind my works is my mother because she has been into Ankara fabrics for a while now, like 6-7 years. Also, my parents have a very good history of partying, going out, and festivals. We are from Ijebu, so everything is always about colours, partying, you know, the whole Ojude-Oba thing.
So, when I was growing up, I was caught up in the entire thing, and that just stuck with me at a point because I haven’t always wanted to create for a while now. The thing started kicking me because if I see something in my head, I’ve already pictured how I want to depict the message I want to convey. So it comes to me randomly anywhere I’m at, at any time. Hence, my other inspiration also includes my doing little drawings back in school. Those kinds of small sketches you make behind your notebooks back in school.
That might have been another source of inspiration because I started creating at Lockdown. That was another inspiration because it was a moment of solitude for me. I was always calm; I wasn’t stressing about anything so that peace brought an urge to create and express myself. Photography was going to be the ideal way to pass the message because I needed to photograph my works before doing the post-production and sharing it with the world. So there’s a lot to it. Even Lagos itself, the vibes, people, everywhere you go, and people always dress up. That’s just it.
How School Affected My Art
Lawal Mayor: I have to call myself a professional at the end of the day, right? I graduated with a degree in computer science. I learned how to use digital graphic apps like Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator, and others during my schooling. After graduating, I didn’t find the urge to do something related to computers.
However, having that background in computer knowledge has shaped some aspects of art. Of course, arts are my only profession. It’s the only thing I have to stick to; it’s the only thing I enjoy doing, and it’s the only thing I can do from time to time without feeling stressed out. It’s just the piece that completes my being. Even if I’m in a bad or a good mood, I will always find myself where I’m creating. It’s more than a profession; it’s a lifestyle, and it’s everything.
Overcoming the Alankara-specific challenges
Lawal Mayor: There’s this thing I do when I’m trying to photograph a moment: I tend to look at Ankara in a way that aligns with my vision. I constantly have to pick the colors, the patterns, and everything that has to do with the essence of the fabric, so it’s always tricky sometimes.
And I think it gets complicated when I have an intention because most of the time I’m just always like “Yo let me grab this fabric, let me grab that one, I call my brother, call my friend, I wrap the piece around them and pass my message across” (mostly freestyle)
However, when I have an intention, I develop the problem of choosing the right pieces. It’s always difficult to pre-plan everything. That might be one of my major challenges when working with fabrics; Intention. I might face other ones, but I can’t think of any right now.
Getting Features By Apple, Prazzle, And The Huge Billboard In Tokyo
Lawal Mayor: The Tokyo one was last year, and it was a curation that ArtCrush Gallery led. They are a very respected brand in the art world. The curation led to them selecting my works. They reached out to me and told me they were interested in my works and emerged the theme they wanted for the billboard display in Tokyo, Chibo.
That was my first international recognition, something huge, and I was very proud about it, you know, seeing my work on a billboard, people passing in a very random country/ state.
That of Apple happened around May or April. When I post my works, I use the hashtag “#shotonmyiphone” or sometimes tag them and use the caption “I shot this in my Apple mobile device.” So they reached out to me to tell me they like my works, and they had noticed I use their device to photograph my works, and it’s something they were proud of. From there, they took it up and posted it. It was crazy. I was almost going mad framing it.
When a brand like Apple puts your work up, it’s a really big deal. I was thrilled and felt myself too much. That’s it about Apple. I’ve had displays/ recognition by a couple of other brands. I had one in Australia as well. I can’t recall the specific state or region where it happened, but it was also a billboard display with multiple screens, and it was all over everywhere. I’ve had quite a journey with international recognition.
Randomly Meeting People Who Fu** With My Art.
Lawal Mayor: Before we started this interview, I was talking to someone. It was a very random conversation. He reacted to a story I posted about 20 or 24 hours ago.
You know, I reach out to them when they acknowledge my works; it’s something I always appreciate regardless of who, so I had to reply, and the conversation started from there without the initial knowledge that the person was interested in my works.
So we were just talking and talking, and I was like,
“Yo this is something I enjoy doing because every one of my collectors and everyone that resonates with my art I have to reach out to them because it’s always amazing, and it’s something I appreciate and I give all my respect and regards to that”
It’s always challenging to see people who appreciate something; even when you see them, you must thank them, no matter how much or how little. So, regardless of whoever comes across my post or reacts, I’m always reaching out to them and thanking them.
Chasing Any Big Dream Project Or Collaboration? Nah… When It Comes… It comes
Lawal Mayor: Currently, I don’t think I’ve pictured collaborating with anyone else, but if I’m going to do that, I think that’s going to be my brother. He’s also a fine arts photographer, an exciting art man. If you look into his page, you will see that we pass our messages in a precise way that can even be said to be similar.
I don’t think I have anyone in mind to collaborate with, and I have interests in projects I’m working on, including a lot of projects. I’m just trying to do the projects in the best way I feel, and after all that.
I will put it out there for the world to see what I’m working on. I’m currently publishing one, “The Fighter’s Journey”. It’s a series I’ve been working on for a couple of months now, and I haven’t had the time to complete it until recently because of the whole NYSC stuff, so I’ve been working on it and a couple of other series, and gradually, I have to finish it up and show it to the world because I’m eager to put it out there
Please Note that he has since completed The Fighter’s Journey. Check it out on his Instagram
NYSC- A Total Waste Of Time Or . . .
Lawal Mayor: Honestly, I don’t even want to talk about it because if I do, I will end this interview in tears. It’s a lot. It’s even getting to a point where I won’t advise someone to go for it.
Don’t get me wrong, having a certificate is a decent thing, you know, the pride, the joy, making your parents believe you are somewhat serious and ready to bounce back in life, but the whole NYSC (National Youth Service Corps) service thing is very stressful.
They don’t even care what happens to you, whether you are serving the country or not, so it’s more like you are investing in something that might not pay off.
Still, there are a lot of people who are utilizing the opportunity well, and they tend to make it out and make it well, but generally, I’m not going to advise someone to be eager to go for the programme. You can just sit and relax whenever you have the strength, especially financial strength, because NYSC is draining.
Although, camp was fun actually, I didn’t even think I was going to miss it until weeks after camp ended. We had fun with the military personnel and you know getting to meet people from different states and different backgrounds and I’m glad I went to camp. Mine was at Port Harcourt, Rivers State so I think that was the best camp based on aesthetics.
Testing The Acidity And Alkalinity Of P. H.
Lawal Mayor: It was my first time in Port Harcourt and probably the last time going by bus. The journey was something else, it was so distant, I think about 10 hours or so. 10 hours by car and 6 hours by plane because the airport is not close to the camp and you might have to take another ⅔ hours journey so that’s that about camp.
Port Harcourt is very different from Lagos. The major difference is the population because we share many approaches to things, such as the way we get danfos, infrastructure, roads, and everything—it’s all there at Port Harcourt. The major difference is the numbers. There are a lot of people in Lagos.
The last time I was actually in Port Harcourt, I didn’t leave camp immediately. I had to stay back for a night, so that meant I spent a whole day and a night before coming back to Lagos. I did a little exploration, and you know, it was not much different aside from the population.
Dislike For Travelling
Lawal Mayor: I don’t like travelling. I enjoy my comfort, like being in a place with no disturbance, just doing what I want to do. I think I’m very shy, too, so yesterday when you skipped the interview, I was low-key happy (laughs). I tend to enjoy being indoors; it’s much more comfortable than travelling.
I’ve been out of the country once, and that was to Ghana. That should have been around 2008 or 2010, and I was very young then. I really need help remembering the details of the trip. Still, it was a whole family trip, so I remember we travelled, and it was quite the experience. However, I’ve stayed in Nigeria for another country since then. Even when it comes to states, I’ve only been to a few states.
Guilty Pleasures Apart From Photography
Lawal mayor: I enjoy playing video games, spending time on my laptop, and browsing the internet, and I like fashion a lot. That’s a big deal for me, regardless of the situation. Anywhere, I’m always looking to appear excellent and fresh, you know, never to be caught unfresh.
Motiff, Symbolism, And Reoccuring Themes In Art
Lawal Mayor: If you study my works, you will notice consistency in making my works very vibrant and highly contrasted because if you look at the skin of my models, and even when I use myself, you can see that it is very contrasted, like dark and shiny, like the colours are always so vibrant, and you are going to notice the use of butterflies; the butterfly symbolizes Freedom and growth.
No matter the situation, we tend to grow and be free, liberate ourselves from whatever holds us back. That’s just how we are as human beings I think that’s just how we are human beings, and the flowers symbolize bloom regardless of the situation as well; we always tend to appear shiny, appear fresh, and seem; you know we always bloom in every situation we are in.
So, you will notice the consistency in contrast, vibrance, and the other elements I used, as well as in the fabrics. I like using complex-patterned fabrics because they portray a lot of choruses.
Music over Movies; Music Taste And Favourite Artiste
Lawal Mayor: I don’t think anyone can live without music. My favourite artist should be Wizkid, but I enjoy Burna’s and Rema’s music much more because of their versatility and approach to music. I tend to enjoy Wizkid because of his personality, being, and style. I prefer Burna’s and Rema’s music much more, and that’s for recent Wiz, not the old Wiz.
On Rema’s Recent Album
Lawal Mayor: That guy wants to send us to places we don’t know. I have yet to indulge myself in that album. I’m still finding it difficult to adjust to it because it’s a very different sound, conversation, and approach to Afro beats. So he has to give us time to adjust because we are not used to it.
Mentoring, Learning, And Being Free
Lawal Mayor: Who am I to be mentoring someone at this stage of my life (Laughs)? I’m still learning, too, as I’m creating. Another thing about art is there’s no learning. You do it as you want, pass the message as you feel, and depict whatever you see however you think it should be.
There’s no learning art; you just have to understand how the art world works, and I think that’s it. Just be free, do what you want to do, don’t stress it, don’t push it. The only time you have to push it is when you are diving into the commercial aspect, but when you are in the creative, just be yourself.