An impressive metal sculpture showcasing the beauty of women worldwide while protesting against "environmental decay" for a cleaner, waste-free future: this is the vision of award-winning Nigerian metal sculptor and visual artist Dotun Popoola.
Popoola has carved out a unique space for himself by transforming used materials such as scrap metal pieces like motorcycle tanks, brake pads, car shock absorbers, bolts and nuts, electric generator parts, into colorful animal and human sculptures. These artworks touch upon the importance of waste management and recycling.
Speaking to CNN, Popoola said, "My art is based on the use of scrap materials that symbolize the visible signs of infrastructural decay in Nigeria."
Popoola's latest sculpture, standing at 12 feet tall and weighing 882 pounds, inspired by his wife, is a piece named "Irinkemi Asake," meaning "metals enriched my life" in the Yoruba language. It was recently exhibited as part of the Artmiabo International Art Festival in Lagos.
The sculpture, consisting of over 4,000 hand-welded and cut metal butterflies, is made from scrap metal, galvanized pipes, automobile parts, stainless steel, and wrought iron, coated with rust protection and UV protection.
"This artwork showcases the beauty of black women all over the world," said Popoola about the piece he began in 2022. "At first glance, you can see her graceful curves, natural beauty, and inner strength. But it also represents the pain black women experience. Each fragmented scrap and butterfly tells her struggles and triumphs, the challenges endured, and obstacles overcome."
"Everything you see in the sculpture is about celebrating blackness. Women create our lives, give us life, and make life meaningful."
Just 24 hours after unveiling the sculpture on Instagram this year, Popoola gained over 50,000 followers worldwide. "I even received a beautiful message from Naomi Campbell," he said. "The support shown by women around the world brought tears of joy in my studio. I knew I was doing the right thing."
On the day of the sculpture's unveiling, Popoola received a message from Tera DuVernay, assistant director of the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, and sister of American filmmaker Ava DuVernay. The museum focuses on slavery and its legacy in America.
"Tera wanted to express how much she loved this extraordinary sculpture reflecting the pains and triumphs of women and asked how she could bring it to their museum in Alabama," Popoola said. "My works have been exhibited in places like Dubai, Qatar, India, but none in museums. I told myself it's not about making money but about the sculpture going to the best place."
The sculpture is being sent to the museum for the June 17 concert at Freedom Monument Sculpture Park as a celebration of Black courage and resilience. The concert will feature jazz musician Wynton Marsalis and others and will be held in a park dedicated to the memories and legacy of slavery in America.
Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative, expressed great happiness for having Dotun Popoola's extraordinary sculpture, Irinkemi Asake, at Freedom Monument Sculpture Park. "The park illuminates the resilience, determination, and capacity for love nurtured by this community, even as it grapples with the pain, trauma, and sorrow experienced by millions of Black people in America. Mr. Popoola's work is well placed in our park because it epitomizes survival, beauty, and ingenuity," said Stevenson.
"Environmental, Activist, and Artist"
This marks a pinnacle achievement for Popoola. His artistic talent emerged at a young age, but even then, his creations were unusually crafted.
"My childhood creative explorations always got me into trouble," he said. "My father had a beautiful leather couch at home. I remember at the age of nine using a sharp razor to etch patterns into the material."
To nurture his son's passion, Popoola's father enrolled him in an art course teaching painting and sculpture, and later he completed his master's degree in sculpture at Obafemi Awolowo University in Nigeria.
In 2015, he found a mentor in metal welding in the U.S. state of South Dakota to learn about metal sourcing. Upon his return to Lagos, Popoola began experimenting with using scrap metal.
"It became my visual language," Popoola said. "For me, as an environmental, activist, and artist, I feel like I'm doing my job. Art should be a catalyst for change, a tool for examining socio-cultural landscapes, a way of reengineering, and a form of protest against environmental decay."
To spread his mission, Popoola established his own Scrap Art Museum, focusing on nurturing young talents. Located in the Osun State of Southwest Nigeria, the museum, decorated with recycled materials in 3D, educates young creatives and inspires them to contribute to the local art community. He also hires local people to collect metal for the museum and his own work, providing them with an opportunity for regular income.
For Popoola, success means measuring not only how far he has come as an artist but also in telling his story. "I want to tell my story. I want to tell my truth with my work," he said. "Most importantly, I want to tell young artists to keep hope alive. If you keep at what you're doing, one day you'll be in the spotlight, and the world will be watching.