Imagine you’re a young kid going through incredibly big changes in your life, that you probably can’t comprehend. How do you make sense of it all?
If your name is Lulu Madolo (he/him), the answer would be art.
“I really do believe in what I do, I believe art is important.” Art is his way of making sense of the world, and in doing so, gives us a little window into the world he lives in.
Lulu is an art student at UP, doing a BA in Visual Studies, where he is truly flourishing. He’s a fine artist, a photographer, and the owner of his very own photography and videography company, Hellogoodpeoplestudio. His history is simple. He started drawing when he was young. In Grade 3, other children started paying him to draw anime characters (pg or not), and soon he began drawing comics, showing his storyteller abilities at a young age. He lost his passion for it when his parents split up in primary school, but after a long hiatus, regained it during lockdown.
“I sat down with myself,” he says. “I asked myself: who do you tell stories to? People. I love people. I love spreading positivity. Best way to do that? Through art. It’s a visual representation.”- the words of an artistic genius.
Lulu, more than anything, wants the world to know about his craftsmanship. “I want them to know I have passion” What creates an experience is the love for it. He wants the world to see his art and determination. He wants them to see his passion, love, and deep devotion. “Art is about love- the meaning of life is love and art is about that.” At the end of the day, I believe that is what all artists truly want, anyways- for the world to know you do what you love and you love and you love what you do. Lulu’s works speak for themselves, and anyone viewing them can feel his passion for his work through every brush stroke. The man is incredibly talented, but what makes his art so special is the love he pours into every canvas he touches, and every photo he takes.
How do you find courage in your youth? - the tagline to this whole campaign. Lulu answered it with an interesting take. While many people might interpret this question to be about the courage you have to speak up when you’re younger, or to stand out, Lulu has a different perspective. “I find courage in my youth mainly being because of the time we have. Time is the most valuable component of life. Time to learn, time to love, and time to change into the person you want to become. Art reflects the time we share as a human race, and my art seeks to use that time to spread expressions of myself for all of humanity to enjoy, learn, and gaze at.”
Lulu finds inspiration from the old masters- and he means old. He’s been studying Leonardo Di Vinci. He’s also an avid reader, with works from our very own Robert Sobukwe, and the likes of Gordon Parks. There is no Lulu without Jean-Michel Basquiat. Not many people know how to turn inspiration into art, but Lulu has no problem in this field at all. These inspirations are very clear in all his works. He also reads a lot of religious texts from different religions, as well as a lot of books about spirituality. Lulu has always been intrigued by religion, and he is able to take the essence of them, study them, and appreciate them.
Where does he wanna go? Well, it’s simple. He sees himself influencing public opinion positively. “I want to show other Black kids that they can create beauty in this way.” He also wants to get his company booming. In terms of his art,he has three goals: get his works into Sotheby's auctions, get his art into galleries, and get kids to learn about him in school. Some might see these goals as too ambitious, or too brash, but anyone that knows Lulu and has seen his work, will assure you he’s more than capable of accomplishing them. Lulu is already a couple steps ahead, with a couple art exhibitions already under his belt- the last one only a couple months prior. The event was an incredible success, and he has his friends around him to celebrate.
Lulu’s potential is overflowing. His dedication to his art is beyond me. He combines so many aspects of his life into his work, into one beautiful final product. There are very few times in life where you can look at someone and go, “That kid is going places.” I truly believe he is going to places higher than we can imagine, and I wish him all the best.
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