Ẹwàtómí — “Beauty Is Enough for Me” by Iyanuoluwa Babalola
Explore Mondoir Studio
Medium: Acrylic on Canvas
Dimensions: 25 x 30 in
Year: 2026
Price: $800.00 USD
Status: available
Ẹwàtómí is inspired by Yoruba naming traditions, where names carry emotional and philosophical meaning, and by the idea of self-acceptance as a form of inner beauty. As part of my ongoing Oríkì Series, this work continues my exploration of names as vessels of identity and lived experience. It reflects a quiet realization that beauty is not something to pursue endlessly, but something already present and sufficient. The figure’s closed eyes and composed gesture suggest a retreat inward, where self-worth is affirmed without external influence. I chose acrylic for its layering and tonal control, allowing me to merge realism with symbolism, while the portrait format emphasizes stillness, presence, and introspection central to my therapeutic approach. I hope viewers see themselves in this moment of calm and recognize that what they seek outwardly may already exist within them. Ẹwàtómí is a quiet affirmation: beauty, in its truest form, is enough.
Why collect this work?
A dark, rounded coiffure and radiating warm bands turn a frontal portrait into an emblem of self-possession, balancing bodily stillness with strong chromatic contrast.
- Babalola identifies Ẹwàtómí with his Oríkì Series and Yoruba naming traditions. His stated translation, “Beauty Is Enough for Me,” frames the portrait as an affirmation of existing worth.
- In the photograph, the hands rise toward the neck while green, pear-shaped earrings flank a face built from discrete blues. Near-frontality creates composure, but small asymmetries in the hands and features preserve the figure’s specificity.
- The work is catalogued as acrylic on canvas. Babalola reports choosing acrylic for layering and tonal control; here, stepped blue passages model the figure while flatter warm shapes compress the surrounding space.
- The painting is significant as a portrait in which a named identity, adornment and inwardly gathered pose carry the argument. Self-acceptance becomes publicly legible without depending on narrative action or a detailed setting.
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.
