Laolu Senbanjo: "The Sacred Art of the Ori"
لاولي سينبانجو: "الفن المقدس من أوري"
Laolu Senbanjo's motto is: “Everything is my canvas.” Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
ابن أيجيبو أودي سان]
surpass all that Europe ever had,]
كل ماكان في أوروبا]
to me when I was a child in Nigeria.
عندما كنتُ في نيجيريا.
of the Yoruba people,
الشعب اليروبي.
of treasures that the West does not have.
التي لا يملكها المجتمع الغربي.
I call my grandmother --
جدتي--
about Yoruba mythology.
عن الميثالوجيا اليوربي
from the southwestern part of Nigeria,
عرقية من الجزء الجنوبي الغربي من نيجيريا،
by these stories.
my art since I was a child.
فني منذ كنتُ طفلاً.
you buy at Harlem markets in New York.
من محلات هارلم في نيويورك.
on her arms and her legs.
على يديها ورجليها،
she was born with them,
أنها وُلدت بهم،
and detailed symbols.
from the Yoruba mythology.
تعود للأساطير اليوربية.
to influence the artist that I am today.
ذلك الفنان الذي أصبحته.
I saw art everywhere.
رأيت الفن في كل مكان.
in Ilorin, in Stadium Road.
في أيلورين في شارع الستاديوم.
at the marble floors,
الرخامية،
of patterns and designs in it,
الأنماط والتصاميم بها،
الجميع رؤيتهم.
and I would be like,
وكنت أقول:
see this pattern, see this mask."
أنظر لهذا النمط، وهذا القناع."
"Laolu, I don't see anything."
"لايلو، لا أستيطع رؤية اي شيء"
what I saw on the floor.
ما أراه على الأرضية.
she got really upset.
غضبت بشدة.
with my teachers and my parents.
مع أساتذتي وأهلي.
"Laolu, we are Christians.
"لايلو، نحن مسيحيين
or maybe you draw chairs or furniture,
أو ربما كرسي أو نافورة،
the whole house if I had a chance,
المنزل إذا أوتيت الفرصة،
I knew being an artist was not an option,
كوني فناناً ليس خياراً
my parents wanted me to be,
الذي أراده أهلي أن أكون،
He was so proud that day.
كان فخوراً جداً ذلك اليوم.
looked like in law school.
في كلية الحقوق
why I wasn't going to class.
at the Human Rights Commission
between getting an education
بين حصولهم على تعليم
seeing all the injustice around me,
(مهرب الأحلام)
is controlled by where we are born.
a man and a man holding hands,
يمسكان بأيدي بعضهما،
same-sex relationship is criminalized.
الجنس يحاسب عليها القانون
I like to start a conversation.
أرغب ببدء نقاش.
plugged into Africa
being drained out.
لأين تذهب؟
the patterns, the masks, the stories,
الأنماط، الأقنعة، والقصص،
to practice art full time.
لأعمل بداوم كامل
He'll come back."
وسيعود حتماً"
in New York was not easy,
مدينة نيويورك ليست سهلة
no representation,
to make a living.
لأؤمن عيشي.
to wear their stories.
my hand on I painted,
تقع عليه يداي
on my Instagram feed,
الإنستغرام،
standing in front my art,
أمام لوحة لي،
go into her and come out of her literally,
on human bodies.
الفن على الأرض الرخامية،
and people's bodies.
وأجساد البشر،
most of my creative instincts
on my childhood memories
and I think to myself, like,
اللذين رسمت عليهم، وفكرت
if we all walked around
from Yoruba mythology?
The Sacred Art of the Ori was born.
لوحة "الفن المقدس من أوري"
it means your instincts.
when you tap into your Ori,
about painting on human bodies.
ترسم على الأجسام البشرية.
my regular work in Brooklyn,
بعملي المعتاد في بروكلين،
for my music video?
أغنيتي المصورة الجديدة؟
how did she even know me?
Of course I thought it was a scam.
لابد أنه أيميل خاردع.
يقول لا.
it was real, it was true,
حقيقياً، كان صحيحاً،
to pay homage to New Orleans,
أن تحيي نيوأورلنز،
of her creole origins.
from zero to 100 real fast.
الى 100 بسرعة كبيرة.
and, like, take everything in.
we work so hard all our lives
كثيراً طوال حياتنا.
in me is still there,
to fight for what I believe in.
أحارب من أجل ما أؤمن به.
some of my art in motion.
بعضاً من فني المتحرك.
I ever painted in my life,
رسمت على اجسامهما في حياتي،
my hopes and my fears.
one huge, nameless continent
over 350 ethnic groups and languages,
مجموعة عرقية ولغة،
that I hope I will be able to change
أن اكون قادراً على تغيير
on the continent and here,
الأفريقي كأنه فن قارة واحدة هنا،
at Harlem markets in New York
you see has a story,
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Laolu Senbanjo - Artist, musician, lawyer, activistLaolu Senbanjo's motto is: “Everything is my canvas.”
Why you should listen
A visual artist, musician, human rights lawyer and activist, Laolu Senbanjo puts his mark on everything from canvas, to shoes, to walls and buildings, to clothing and even the body with his Sacred Art of the Ori. Born and raised in Ilorin, Nigeria, his Yoruba heritage is ever-present in his work, which marries modern detail and ornate style to create a vision of Afrofuturism.
His preferred medium is charcoal, "because it’s something as natural as life and death," he writes, and he also works in acrylics, inks and even wood. Senbanjo created work for the astonishing "Sorry" video from Beyoncé's Lemonade, and he has worked with Angelique Kidjo, Kenneth Cole, Alicia Keys, Usher and many more.
Laolu Senbanjo | Speaker | TED.com