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Toochukwu Chukwubudom

@mophead.zolt

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Desire.

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I’m coming to realize how intricate desire is to my practice.
I used to think my work was about balancing contrasting ideas, thoughts or subjects. But the more I sit with it, the more I realize that the tension comes from somewhere deeper.

It comes from the presence of seemingly opposing desires within me.

One desire pulls one way, another pulls in the opposite direction. Their collision creates tension, and within that tension, I seek balance. I seek resolution.

This is where the burning skull comes in.

It has become my metaphor for desire.

The skull is commonly read as a symbol of death, danger, even evil. Yet the skull is also what houses and protects the brain, supporting the very mechanisms through which life is experienced and sustained.

Desire carries a similar contradiction.

It can be destructive. It can be used for evil, greed and violence. But desire can also drive creation, survival, discovery and advancement.

Neither is inherently good nor bad.

Just human.

And perhaps that is where this new direction in my practice begins. Not with the contradiction itself, but with the desires that create it.

#study #oilstudy #surrealism by @mophead.zolt

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a month ago

Repeat post:

This is what we stand for: the unfinished work, the attempts that fail, the people who return to the work, and the belief that a possibility once seen can no longer be ignored. Larger Than Us is for those who keep building, and for everyone who chooses to stand in their corner.

If that sounds like you, tell us more: link in bio.

Or if you're one of those who want to be the reason they continue: link in bio.

Comment "silver in black" and we'll send you the film' watch link. by @mophead.zolt

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4 days ago

FUN 20
Icebreaker conversations with beautiful and talented minds.

Question For the Day:
WOULD YOU RATHER CREATE ONLY WITH YOUR NON-DOMINANT HAND FOR A YEAR OR NEVER BE ABLE TO USE YOUR FAVORITE MATERIAL AGAIN

Toochukwu Chukwubudom (Visual Artist)
@mophead.zolt

QUESTIONS
* WHAT’S A RECENT PROJECT/ACCOMPLISHMENT YOU’RE PROUD OF
Come quite some way, but not mind blown yet. When I pull off the current project I’m working on, then I’d be proud.

* WHAT SONG(S) CURRENTLY CAN YOU LISTEN TO ALL DAY
Off the top of my hat, I’m thinking a song by Enya. ‘One by one’ or ‘Caribbean blues’

* WHAT'S THE MOST CHAOTIC THING YOUR ALGORITHM THINKS YOU'RE INTERESTED IN
Marraige coaching😄, not chaotic, but definitely feels weird seeing it amongst my other interests.

* WHAT WAS SOMETHING YOU WERE REALLY INTO AS A KID THAT YOU KINDA MISS & WHY
Inline skating, miss the feeling of gliding down the street on skates. Make I add inline skates to my wish list sef

* IF YOU COULD LIVE ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, WHERE WOULD IT BE AND WHY
Not one of those people that readily have an answer to this, but the first country that pops in my head is Japan. Love to explore the place for a bit.

* WHAT'S AN ART TREND YOU SECRETLY DON'T UNDERSTAND
NFTs

* WHO'S AN ARTIST(S) THAT YOU BELIEVE THE WORLD IS SLEEPING ON
Me and two others.
But no worries
I shall soon wake this accursed world the fuck up🎩

* TELL A LIE OR AN ODD TRUTH ABOUT YOURSELF
I’m the reference for every male nude I’ve painted.

* IF YOU COULD GET A SHOUT OUT FROM ANY ARTIST WHO WOULD BE
Slawn or Azekwoh

* LEAVE A SHORT MESSAGE (NOT MORE THAN 2 SENTENCES) TO YOUR FAVORITE CREATIVE FRIEND/MENTOR
@amososemwingie let’s effing go!!

* WOULD YOU RATHER HAVE UNLIMITED MONEY BUT NEVER BE ABLE TO TRAVEL AGAIN OR TRAVEL THE WORLD FOR FREE BUT NEVER HAVE MONEY ON YOU
Unlimited money abeg. Wetin I go chop as I dey travel?? I go turn beggar for another person country, hell nah l.

* WHAT'S A CREATIVE HABIT THAT DOESN'T ALWAYS MAKE SENSE BUT SOMEHOW WORKS FOR YOU
6 unfinished paintings, and I’m starting a new one💀

* WHAT'S A FOOD COMBO YOU LIKE THAT MAY SEEM ODD
Rice and okra soup

Read more in comments section below 👇🏾 taken in Lagos, Nigeria by @mophead.zolt

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17 days ago

Untitled~
Any suggestions??

#study
#oilstudy
#surrealart
#artenthusiast by @mophead.zolt

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2 months ago

Lots to say, lots to process, but for now hold on to these whilst I work to untangle this knot in my mind.

#artexhibition
#surrealism
#artvsartist
#artcollections
#artlovers by @mophead.zolt

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2 months ago

The English title of this painting, He Never Learned to Smell the Roses, was loosely translated into Igbo as Ọ maghị otú e si atụrụ ndụ, which more directly translates to “he doesn’t know how to enjoy life.

It speaks to the inability to appreciate the life we once prayed for because we’re so caught up in the anxiety of not yet living the life we now want.

Ọ maghị otú e si atụrụ ndụ
Acrylic and textile on paper
3 by 4 ft

Currently on display @galari__ till the 29th of August
Reach out to the gallery for purchase enquiries. by @mophead.zolt

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2 months ago

Ọ bụ m
This is me

The knowledge and acceptance a warrior has of himself does not mean he won’t fight battles.
Ọ bụ m reflects the state of owning and being confident in who you are while still living in conflict.
As I once said to a friend, a warrior fights two battles: the one within himself, where the different layers of him compete, and the one with the outside world.

3 by 4 ft
Oil and textile on canvas
2026

On display @galari__ till the 29th of August
For purchase enquiries, contact the gallery by @mophead.zolt

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2 months ago

Still processing it all!

Thank you to the gallery @galari__ , the other artists, and everyone who came through. To everyone who stood in front of the work, asked questions, shared a thought, or simply spent a moment with them.

You made it all memorable.

Grateful for the experience. Grateful for the people. Grateful that these pieces got to leave the studio and exist in the world.

Until the next one. 🖤 by @mophead.zolt

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2 months ago

I’m learning to smell the roses

#AcrylicPainting
#FigurativePainting
#ArtistProcess
#ContemporaryArt
#NigerianArt by @mophead.zolt

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2 months ago

Watch Toochukwu Chukwubudom talk about his inspiration for the works he is presenting for Future Bodies/New Realities.

The exhibition opens on the 16th of August, 2026

#Nigerianartist #ContemporaryArt #Artexhibition #AfricanArtists #gàlàríopencall2026 by @mophead.zolt

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2 months ago

With an intentional use of imagery and metaphor, Toochukwu Chukwubudom confronts the silent burdens of identity, anxiety and more, in Ọ maghị otú e si atụrụ ndụ’ and ‘Ọ bụ m‘, his body of works for Future Bodies/ New Realities.

These works are still available at Future Bodies/ New Realities open at GÀLÀRÍ.

30 Oluwaleimu Str, Allen, Ikeja, Lagos.

#Newrealities #GÀLÀRÍOPENCALL2026 #Artexhibition #africancontemporaryart by @mophead.zolt

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2 months ago

Meet Mophead (Toochukwu Chukwubudom)

A Lagos-based artist exploring the tug-of-war within us all, between who we are, who we long to become, and the desires that pull us in every direction.

Swipe to step into one of his visceral worlds.

Come and check out his full body of work for Future Bodies/New Realities opening on the 16th of August, 2026.

#Nigerianartist #ContemporaryArt #Artexhibition #AfricanArtists #gàlàríopencall2026 by @mophead.zolt

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2 months ago