I’ve Got to Know You Now We May Never Meet Again by Sola Olulode

Lawrie Shabibi is delighted to present I’ve Got to Know You Now We May Never Meet Again, the Dubai debut exhibition by London based Nigerian-British Artist Sola Olulode whose paintings depict a vibrant dialogue between myth, memory, and the sea.

In this new series of paintings, the artist draws on her lived-in holiday experiences whilst also referencing the fantastical realms of Yemayá, the Yoruba water deity, alongside water spirits and sirens. The result is a series of works that celebrate femininity, nature, and the transcendent power of water.

Drawing direct inspiration from her personal archive of holiday photographs taken from her trips to the Caribbean, Mallorca and Senegal, Olulode paints vivid, dreamlike scenes of herself, lovers and friends swimming and frolicking in the ocean. The broad spectrum of colour in her paintings conjure up the rich and bold hues of the ocean: cobalt blues of the ocean blend with the vibrant oranges, pinks and purples of the evening sky. Far from straightforward representations, these paintings are portals into a world where myth and memory collide, and the giddiness of water becomes an act of liberation.