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Celebrating the beauty of Blackness and protesting “environmental decadence” for a cleaner, waste-free future: that’s the vision of award-winning Nigerian metal sculptor and visual artist Dotun Popoola.
Popoola has carved a niche for himself by transforming scrap metal into colorful sculptures of animals and people, which tackle issues including waste management and the importance of recycling.
“My art is rooted in the use of discarded materials like motorcycle tanks, brake pads, car struts, bolts, nuts, and electric generator parts, all of which symbolize the visible signs of infrastructural decay in Nigeria,” Popoola told CNN.
Popoola’s most recent sculpture is a 12-foot-tall, 882-pound piece depicting the decorated head and neck of an African woman, inspired by his wife.
Called “Irinkemi Asake ” — which roughly translates to “metals have enhanced my life” in the Yoruba language — it was recently displayed as a part of the Artmiabo International Art Festival in Lagos.
Composed of over 4,000 tiny metal butterflies, each individually welded and cut by hand, the sculpture is made from discarded metal, galvanized pipes, automobile parts, stainless steel, and wrought iron, and is coated with an anti-rust finishing and UV protection.
“The work showcases the beauty of Black women all over the world,” Popoola said of the piece, which he began in 2022.
“Everything you see in the sculpture, it’s about bringing out the beauty of Blackness. Women create our life, they give us life and they make life meaningful to us.”
