Zeal for the hyper-real: the Nigerian art prodigy who mirrors the world

In this video we meet hyper-realism artist and art prodigy Kareem Waris Olamilekan, born in Nigeria, in 2007.

Hyperrealism is a genre of art featuring hand-drawn images that resemble high-resolution photos, a form which is growing in popularity globally.

The teen, who lives with his family in Lagos and studies at the Ayowole Academy of Art, began drawing at the tender age of six.

He rocketed to fame when, on July 3, 2018, he completed a hyper-realistic portrait of French President Emmanuel Macron in two hours, during the latter’s visit to Lagos’ New Afrika Shrine entertainment centre.

President Macron was so impressed by Olamilekan’s work that he tweeted a short video of the young artist drawing. As a result, Olamilekan’s work has since received international recognition and later beat out 2,723 other competitors to capture Taiwan’s 22nd ‘Fervent Global Love of Lives Award’ in 2019.

Olamilekan is one of the youngest members of a growing community of Lagos artists working in hyper-realism. Other young Nigerian creatives, like Arinze Stanley and Oscar Ukonu, are also using their art to mirror real life.

View the original video here.

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