Sanjo Lawal is undoubtedly a talented artist who deserves to be recognised by the art world. His art has strong spiritual and iconographic roots in Africa.
He used his mother’s acute sense of colour, which was mirrored in the textiles she wore and the flowers she grew, into his unique artistic style and use of hues and highly contrasting colours. This impact may be observed in the mixture of photos and new and recycled materials he uses to produce a raw realism that draws attention to his inventive technique, spirituality, and structure.
Sanjo has been using his apple phone to record and photograph scenes from his surroundings since 2014. Scribbling and drawing/illustrating on paper served as the foundation for his artistic inquiry and discoveries. This started him on his photographic artistic journey and nurtured his passion and creativity for the medium. For Lawal, each hue has a key component, and each image tells a narrative. His regular activities and daily life provide extra inspiration, which enables him to expertly combine photography and painting.
Lawal’s work is greatly affected by his surroundings as a fine art photographer who lives and works in Lagos, Nigeria. With more than 525 native languages spoken, Nigeria has the most diverse population of ethnic groups in all of Africa. His admiration for Nigerian culture spurred his curiosity about the great complexity of cultural variations among Nigerians.