Adúkẹ́́ Ọlà — “Beloved Crowned with Wealth” by Iyanuoluwa Babalola
Explore Mondoir Studio
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Dimensions: 25 x 30 in
Year: 2026
Price: $800.00 USD
Status: available
Adúkẹ́́ Ọlà is inspired by Yoruba naming traditions, where names carry layered meanings of affection, identity, and value, as well as by reflections on how worth is often measured externally rather than internally. As part of my ongoing Oríkì Series, this work continues my exploration of names as vessels of memory and emotional experience. The title speaks of a presence that is both cherished and adorned—not only with material wealth, but with an inner richness shaped by heritage, self-awareness, and dignity. The fruit forms growing across the body symbolize abundance that is organic and inherent, not acquired. They reflect a kind of wealth that lives within—nourishing, sustaining, and deeply rooted in origin. The figure’s calm yet assured expression embodies a quiet confidence, suggesting a moment of realization where value is no longer sought outwardly but recognized within. I chose acrylic for its depth and layering, allowing me to build tonal richness and merge hyperrealism with symbolic storytelling. The portrait format and stylized subject matter position the figure as both individual and landscape, reinforcing the idea of identity as something lived, carried, and embodied. I hope viewers encounter this work as both a reflection and a reassurance that beyond external validation, there exists a deeper, more enduring sense of worth. Adúkẹ́́ Ọlà becomes a quiet affirmation: to be beloved is to be crowned already.
Why collect this work?
A near-circular mass of hair dominates the portrait, turning personal adornment into a visual crown while the fruit-covered torso shifts wealth from possession to embodiment.
- Babalola identifies this painting with the ongoing Oríkì Series and describes Yoruba names as vessels of memory and emotional experience. Here, the title links being beloved with being crowned by wealth.
- In the photograph, the figure’s face and hand emerge in saturated blues against an orange field. Repeated fruit, leaves, and small blossoms replace ordinary clothing, binding the body to a patterned image of growth and abundance.
- The documented acrylic medium permits sharp shifts between opaque colour and small highlights. Tight curls, reflective fruit, pointed nails, and facial planes are differentiated through repeated marks rather than continuous modelling.
- Encountering this work alongside portraiture concerned with status would sharpen its central reversal: value is not shown through possessions or setting, but pictured as something cultivated across the figure’s own body.
About the Artist
Iyanuoluwa Babalola
Iyanuoluwa Babalola is an artist on Mondoir Studio. Artistic discipline: Painting/ Acrylic and on Canvas. Based in Lagos, NG.
Nationality: Nigerian
My art explores healing, identity, cultural memory, and moral consciousness through expressive painting and visual storytelling.
