Meet Laolu, the man behind Beyonce's LEMONADE body artwork

On the 23rd of April, Beyonce premiered her hour long special LEMONADE on HBO, which was a visual journey throughout her latest album of the same name. In the monochrome section entitled Apathy, Beyoncé's background dancers are seen wearing intricate white body paint while riding in a metal bus. And the artist behind the body paint is Nigerian artist Laolu.

He calls his body painting artworks Sacred Art of the Ori, noting that the origin of this practice derives from a spiritual Yoruba ritual. "In my language, Yoruba 'Ori' literally means your essence, your soul, your destiny," Laolu explains in a statement. "When I work with a muse, the muse, their Ori, and I become one. It's the deepest, most spiritual experience I've ever had with my art as an artist."

Read below more about Laolu.

 I was born and raised in Ilorin, Nigeria. I became a lawyer because that was what my Father expected of me; he too was a lawyer. After several years of spending all my free time and money creating Art and Music I decided to make a change and decided to become a full-time Artist. This path I chose is not easy, nor filled with riches but it is my destiny, in Yoruba we say, Ayanmo. My Art is called, Afromysterics, a term I coined in 2007, which means, the mystery of the African thought pattern. 

As a Pioneer and Leader in the Afrofuturism movement I consider it my duty to keep creating and to continue to push boundaries.  It transcends Art mediums and is also the expression of these thoughts and mysteries into music, vocals, and sounds. All of my work is heavily influenced by my Yoruba heritage and often related to the environment I find myself in. I love to travel so you will often see my travels reflected in my work. 

 I am a passionate activist and you will notice how most of my works have social justice ideologies woven throughout.  Also, you will notice feminism, women and children are often present and common themes in my work, this is because of my work as Human Rights Lawyer in Nigeria I was impacted by the strength girls and women have shown me. I weave stories throughout the lines and patterns in my works.  

I am a self-taught Visual Artist and Musician. My preferred medium is charcoal, although I do use others as well.  I often create Art based on the songs that I write and vice-versa.  Musically I am influenced by the likes of Fela Kuti, Sade, and King Sunny Ade.  Artistically I am often compared to Twin Seven-Seven.  
I try very hard to balance both my passions of Art and Music. Yet, since they are so intertwined it’s difficult for me to separate the two. Currently, I divide my time between Nigeria and Brooklyn, New York.