Kip Omolade (and his innovative take on oil paintings) is the catalyst for the resurgence of this HoC Art Tuesdays. I must admit I stopped writing about visual art because I was not super excited about anything in particular. However, Omolade’s Diovadiova Chrome series is intrinsically rich and soufully deep, penetrating the subject matter of immortality, identity and spirituality and capturing a meaning beyond physical form.
Omolade interned at Marvel Comics during his high school years and was enamored with sci-fi and the challenge to merge sci-fi with reality. Consequently, he has found a way to take women of color and present them in ways that are deeper than the surface level of their skintone.
Originally, the series drew a parallel between celebrities and deities, but now reaches wider topics in scope such as luxury, beauty and power. With a keen and deep appreciation of women of color, Omolade delicately molds structures of women’s faces in the image of his own, yet authentically captures the women’s essence. It is beautiful and unassuming the way in which Opalade incorporates himself into the portraits of the women by depicting the reflection of him taking photos of the sculptors.
“To create the paintings, I used a mold of my face to make a chrome sculpture. Photographs of the sculpted model in various lighting and settings served as references. The remaining painting process is autobiographical as it connects to different stages of my life. The bright, saturated colors and intricate, abstract shapes recall my graffiti days in NYC during the 80’s. My teenage internship at Marvel Comics influences a futuristic, sci-fi aesthetic. The use of oils is the result of painting from life at The School of Visual Arts and The Art Students League of New York….”
“There is a historical link between Diovadiova Chrome and ancient West African Ife bronze heads. The artifacts required a highly skilled technique and were also crafted from a casting method. These once shiny sculptures used a realistic, yet stylized, method to represent royal deities, but what remains is a universal sense of dignified humanity. While these heads represented actual people, there was a connection to a timeless, higher power. Similarly, my work does not attempt to capture an exact likeness but rather something deeper. I am trying to paint my soul.” – Kip Omolade
Like I said before, Omolade has ignited once again within me the deep revelations and power that visual Art has the ability to manifest and he brings so much texture and deeper meaning to what is beyond the naked eye. Giving selfies new meaning by tributing his work as a part of that movement in a way, he has discovered how to create something epic while still connecting with the average person.
Kip Omolade, you have just been heART of cool STAMPED. THANK YOU KINDLY for the inspiration!
💜Love & Light🌞,
Cristen M. Mills
