Godiva is a traditionally trained photographer who is now a multimedia NFT artist from Nigeria. He finds inspiration from music, life in general and his emotions. He also uses Pinterest as a place to get ideas or do research for his images.
When he was a beginner photographer, he had an idea to do portraits of dark-skinned women not wearing any makeup except lip gloss. He wanted to use his knowledge of lighting to highlight the women’s skin tones without anything on it. He had women tell him that they didn’t see themselves the way that he photographed them, that they could see their beauty. From that moment, he became a Melanin Activist. He wants to showcase dark-skinned people and show their beauty.
He is currently working on Project 217. It will consist of 217 pieces and are identifiable by the limited use of the colors blue and orange. Each image is inspired by a song or an emotion he is feeling. The shades also vary, depending on his mood. Initially, he wanted to create a piece a day, but he was feeling rushed, and it didn’t feel organic for him, so he decided not to rush the project.
He doesn’t want to put a lot of explanation on his art, he just wants people to let whatever feelings come up, be there.
His favorite artist is Basquiat. The way that Basquiat uses the crown as his signature, is something that Godiva wanted for himself. He uses the “evil eye” symbol as his signature. He also wanted to create work that would be easily identifiable, like Basquiat, which is the deep blue and orange palette that he is currently working in.
The message that he wants his audience to take away from his art is, You are not alone.
In his role as an artist, he says, he’s trying to shine a light on you when you feel whatever emotions come up when looking at his work.
Follow him on Twitter @GodivaOmouyi