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Olanrewaju Oladapo

@_lanre_____

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A contemporary African sculpture who uses Cultural and biblical figures as metaphors for identity, transformation, ambition and becoming.

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Title: “Becoming before being”

What looked like isolation was instruction.
What felt like delay was development.

Sometimes when you carry many gifts, life does not reveal everything at once. It develops you in stages. Discipline before dominance. Obscurity before visibility. Character before crown.

David did not discover his purpose by choosing one gift over another.
He discovered it by being faithful with every gift until one defining moment revealed who he had always been becoming.

This piece reflects the quiet season where becoming matters more than being seen
#art #sculpt #africa #sculpture #african by @_lanre_____

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8 months ago

You saw her in clay.
Now, meet the woman she was becoming.

BECOMING BEFORE BEING (Esther) — 2026

Before she became visible, she became ready.

#africancontemporaryart
#sculpture
#artcollector #artoftheday
#art taken in Lagos, Nigeria by @_lanre_____

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2 months ago

Before Esther became visible, she was becoming.
Before influence,before admiration,before the weight of expectation, there was a woman learning herself in silence

This sculpture reflects the quiet transformation many women endure long before the world notices them.
The closed eyes are not weakness, but inwardness. A moment of becoming untouched by performance.

Through Esther the work speaks about patience,identity,softness,resilience, and the unseen strength required to grow while the word waits for perfection.
She wasn’t portrayed here as a queen alone, but as a woman in transition, carrying grace and pressure at the same time.

Like many women, Esther was expected to arrive fully formed.
But becoming takes time
This piece is a meditation on the feminine journey of becoming before being seen

Becoming before being 2
#art #sculpt #sculpture #viralvideos #african by @_lanre_____

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5 months ago

They want her hairless,
But only a child is.
They Want her to bounce back,
But she just made a life.
They tell her "love your natural body",
Then sell her another one.

A woman body was never ment to stay the same
Click yes if you agree
#sculpture #figurative #woman #clay #viralvideos taken in Lagos, Nigeria by @_lanre_____

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23 days ago

The destination to our success isn't as smooth as we thought.….

I don't know how it happened but my last video was deleted…. I have tried getting it back but all to no avail.

I guess i would have to post it again

Working on a different piece….#sculpt #artwork #art by @_lanre_____

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8 months ago

Esther was chosen because she became queen.
That's the popular version.
I think she became queen because she learned who she was before anyone was watching .#art #africa #viralvideos #sculpture #clay by @_lanre_____

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4 months ago

"This painting, innocence is a reflection on purity, vulnerability, and the childlike sense of wonder within us—the part that believes, dreams, trusts, and finds joy in the simplest moments capturing the quiet beauty of a heart untouched by fear or pretense."- @seyiodukoyaart

UNDISCOVERED LAGOS 4.0 GROUP ART EXHIBITION by Thought Pyramid Art Centre is still ongoing until 2 October 2026. Viewing is free but excludes Sundays...

#art #artsy #artistsoninstagram #2026 #global

"THREADS OF ETHNICITY: African hairstyles is a hereditary culture that has been from generation to generation,threaded hairstyles is a testament and celebration of the strength and resilience of African women.Threads can refer not only to the actual strands of hair and the patterned fabric, but also to the invisible thread connecting past generations to the present.Long before history was written in books, it was woven into our hair."- @nenyeart3

UNDISCOVERED LAGOS 4.0 GROUP ART EXHIBITION by Thought Pyramid Art Centre is still ongoing until 5 October 2026. Viewing is free but excludes Sundays...

#art #artsy #artistsoninstagram #2026 #global

"Between Here and Elsewhere ||Speaks of the feeling of being caught between where we are and being emotionally attached to places.The figure represents stillness and emotion , while the map represents memories and places that shape us. It speaks about belonging, movement, and carrying pieces of past places into new ones."- @bankoleemmanuel_

UNDISCOVERED LAGOS 4.0 GROUP ART EXHIBITION by Thought Pyramid Art Centre is still ongoing until 5 October 2026. Viewing is free but excludes Sundays...

#art #artsy #artistsoninstagram #2026 #global

UNDISCOVERED LAGOS 4.0 GROUP ART EXHIBITION by Thought Pyramid Art Centre is still ongoing until 5 October 2026. Viewing is free but excludes Sundays...

#art #artsy #artistsoninstagram #2026 #global

"Becoming Before Being (David): What looked like isolation was instruction. What felt like delay was development. Drawing from David's journey before the crown, this work reflects the quiet season of becoming: where discipline precedes dominance, obscurity precedes visibility, and character precedes recognition. It c by @_lanre_____

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22 days ago

Loving this already

#art #sculpture #figure #africa #clay by @_lanre_____

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3 months ago

It’s a journey…… walk with me

#art #artwork #sculpture #sculpt by @_lanre_____

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8 months ago

Every work of art begins with a question.

This month's critique explores "Becoming Before Being", a sculpture by Olanrewaju Oladapo that shifts our attention from achievement to formation, asking us to reconsider the value of the unseen chapters that shape a life.
Read, reflect, and tell us: What part of becoming do you think the world overlooks most?
Read the full article on substack
Link in bio.

#thearthub taken in Lagos, Nigeria by @_lanre_____

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3 months ago

Olanrewaju Oladapo's sculptures become visual interpretations of the inner conflicts and quiet truths that shape the human experience.
"My sculptures draw from poetry, personal reflection, and the tension between light and shadow both literal and emotional." — @_lanre_____

#thearthub by @_lanre_____

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3 months ago

Our July's Artist of the Month @_lanre_____
Olanrewaju Oladapo creates sculptures that ask questions about identity, faith, transformation, and what it means to become.

#thearthub #aotm

Sometimes the journey to becoming an artist begins with going back. Olanrewaju rewrote his WAEC to pursue the path he knew he couldn't ignore.

#thearthub #artistofthemonth

Working primarily with clay, Olanrewaju uses sculpture as a language for exploring the emotions and experiences that often go unseen.

#thearthub #contemporaryartist

"What would it feel like to create life from dust?"
The question that became the foundation of his sculptural practice.

#thearthub #process

Before words, there is the body. Every gesture, posture, and expression carries a story waiting to be read.

#thearthub

Read the full feature on Substack for the complete conversation with Olanrewaju Oladapo. Link in bio.

#thearthub taken in Lagos, Nigeria by @_lanre_____

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3 months ago