Damola in Her Mother's Dress

Adedolapo Boluwatife is a photographer and film maker from Lagos Nigeria. He was born in Ojodu area of Lagos, in 1996. He studied English Language and Literary studies at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife. After years of being a writer, and a sketch artist, in the zeal to further explore more media of expression, Adedolapo joined the University photography club, where he served as the vice president after just a year of joining and had his first ever physical exhibition. It was at this community he was exposed to modernist/Avante Garde style of photography. He studied works of Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, Man Ray, Ansel Adams, Viviane Sassen and Rotimi Fani Kayode. These are early inspiration for his works. His film making journey started in 2016 when he saw the movie ‘Cigarettes and Coffee’ by Jim Jarmusch, he was fascinated by the unconventional style of storytelling and the interesting conversations, this further led him to studying other legendary experimental film makers like Terrence Malik, David Lynch, Abbas Kiarostami, and Yasujiro Ozu. These filmmakers set the model for the type of film he creates.
Adedolapo was shortlisted for the Fine art category of the 2022, 500 px GPA award, he was also honored to be amongst the finalist at the Agora Images World ‘Eyes’ Photo contest in 2019. His works have also been recognized as Best of Photo vogue, Vogue Italia, on 5 different occasions. Adedolapo Boluwatife has had film screenings and exhibitions in Maryland, USA (2018) New York, USA (2018,2022), Serbia (2018,2022), Tromso, Norway (2022), Johannesburg, South Africa (2023), Rome, Italy (2018), and Lagos, Nigeria (2018). His works have also gotten numerous magazine features and press around the world like Nataal Uk, Photo vogue, Bored panda, Behance, Agora, Alchemy Journal, Ajifa, African Lens, GIDA Journal, ItsNiceThat, Unframe and numerous others.
Adedolapo Boluwatife’s work is centered around fine art pictorialism, documentary, fashion, still life and experimental films and he also possesses a quite diverse style; his works can be direct and vivid and could also be extremely metaphorical and allegorical and it is evident in his use of symbolism and abstract expressionism. His works reflects around beauty, gender, politics, mental health, climate, humans, culture and lifestyle.

Adedolapo Boluwatife currently lives and works in Lagos as a freelance photographer and filmmaker. He is currently focusing on projects relating to mental health and climate.