Meet The Nigerian Artist Behind The Body Art In Beyoncé’s LEMONADE

Brooklyn’s Laolu Senbanjo brought his practice of a sacred Yoruba ritual to the main screen.

April 24, 2016

Last night, Beyoncé 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 moving to the album's fourth track, "Sorry."

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Meet The Nigerian Artist Behind The Body Art In Beyoncé’s <i>LEMONADE</i> HBO
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Meet The Nigerian Artist Behind The Body Art In Beyoncé’s <i>LEMONADE</i> HBO

Later on in the film, Beyoncé is also seen with a small amount of body art; white dots have been delicately placed above the curve of her eyebrows and dragged from her lower eyelid to her cheeks.

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Meet The Nigerian Artist Behind The Body Art In Beyoncé’s <i>LEMONADE</i> HBO

The artist behind these ornate designs is Nigerian-born, Brooklyn-bred Laolu Senbanjo, who mononymously goes by Laolu. Laolu will sit down with a model, which he calls his "muse," for hours in order to meticulously adorn her body with geometric, swirling patterns.

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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 his artist 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."

View more of Laolu's work on his website.

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#behindthescenes #LEMONADE #SacredArtoftheOri #Beyonce #laolunyc #laolusenbanjo Thank you!!! @beyonce

A photo posted by Laolu (@laolunyc) on

Meet The Nigerian Artist Behind The Body Art In Beyoncé’s LEMONADE