The rising Nigerian designer opens up her world to the masses, with a series of new works and installations – including the first ever Mowalola gimp suit
If you’ve ever been to one of Mowalola Ogunlesi’s shows, you’ll be fully aware of the wild energy she brings to the room. From the moment the lights go down, the music goes up, and first model strides ferociously out onto the runway, the next five minutes are a sexually-charged sensory overload of brilliance, punctuated by whoops and shouts from friends, family, and fans who jostle to get a better view (seriously – if you don’t get to a Mowa show on time, good luck getting a seat).
Now, the former Central Saint Martins student is bringing her uniquely vibrant vision to London’s NOW Gallery, with her debut exhibition Silent Madness set to open there next week. Following in the footsteps of Molly Goddard and Richard Malone, who have both previously held shows at the Greenwich Peninsula space, Silent Madness delves deep into the Nigerian designer’s world.
“Initially I was thinking about creating an installation that would mimic my own version of a renaissance painting. Something chaotic, sexy, and unapologetically black. My idea was always to show my world to the world – something we never usually see in museums or galleries,” she explains of the show.
With a series of new and specially commissioned works set to go on display, those visiting will immediately be handed an MP3 player loaded with Silent Madness’s soundtrack, which features the likes of Shygirl, Joey LaBeija, James Messiah, and Odunsi The Engine, before the exhibition leads them towards the ‘band’ Mowalola has assembled.
“I was thinking about creating an installation that would mimic my own version of a renaissance painting. Something chaotic, sexy, and unapologetically black – something we never usually see in museums or galleries” – Mowalola Ogunlesi
Made up of a series of mannequins dripping in black, sticky tar, Ogunlesi explains that the group was created in response to close-minded people she's encountered. “They look like hell, like they’re ready to play the devil’s music,” she says. “It’s my way of trolling people who have so often called things they don’t understand or are afraid of ‘the devils’, especially when it comes to music.”
Also featured as part of Silent Madness is a new film created in collaboration with Jordan Hemingway, Yves Tumor, and Dazed’s Jamie Reid, who Mowalola refers to as ‘a mentally unstable quartet’, as well as a number of pieces from her earlier collections, which have each explored her Nigerian heritage, and the African country’s diverse subcultures and underground music scene, as well as black masculinity and sexuality.
Unsurprisingly, she isn’t keen on giving everything away when it comes to what exactly we can expect from the rest of the show, but does reveal she’s created the first ever Mowalola gimp suit. “I’m about to destroy everything. Total destruction, to build something new – something for us, by us,” she concludes.
Watch the trailer for Silent Madness, directed by Aidan Zamiri, above. The show runs at Greenwich Peninsula’s NOW Gallery from December 6 2019 – January 19 2020.
Revisit Mowalola’s SS20 show below.
