Anadu Art Gallery

From Rhythm to the Canvas: The Hip Hop-Driven Art of Lolu Fenuyi

September 6, 2026

By: Chieloka Anadu

Lolu Fenuyi describes himself simply as “a self-taught digital mixed media artist” who combines graphic design software and AI to create his work. His art is themed mainly around hip hop culture, street dance, and performing, and the reason isn’t hard to find: “in addition to being an artist, I am also a street dancer and performer.” The two practices feed each other directly, with movement and performance culture supplying both the subject matter and the energy behind his digital compositions.

His creative process, he says, is inspired by “ideas to create something new and unique,” and it’s experimentation itself that keeps the work moving. “Through experimentation, exploration and the desire to try new digital tools has helped me to continue to discover different ways of creating art,” he explains. Beneath that restlessness sits a steadier source of inspiration – hip hop culture, street dance, and performing – which together anchor almost everything he makes.

Unlike many artists who trace their style back to specific painters or movements, Fenuyi is direct about having no such reference points. “There aren’t any artists (past or contemporary) that have influenced my work,” he says plainly. Instead, “my work is influenced by my interests in hip hop culture, street dance and performing” – a foundation built entirely on his own world rather than on art history.

His materials reflect that same independence. He works with “a variety of graphic design software tools and AI tools to create art,” and the significance runs deeper than convenience: “it helps me to create art closer to my imagination. It helps me to bring my imaginations and ideas to reality.” Technology, in his hands, functions less as a shortcut than as a bridge between what he pictures and what he can actually show someone.

When creative blocks arrive, Fenuyi relies on two dependable strategies. The first is distance – he takes “short periods of time away from creating art to focus and experience other things,” a break that “often leads to new ideas coming to my mind” by the time he returns to the work. The second is music, specifically “old school R&B and Hip Hop,” which calms his mind and “puts me at peace,” clearing the space for “new ideas and imaginations to flow through my mind” until, as he puts it, “the creativity and inspiration start to flow again.”

Asked what his artwork would say if it could speak directly to a viewer, his answer is unadorned: “embrace your uniqueness and express yourself.” It reads less like a slogan than a working principle – a fair summary of a practice built almost entirely on following his own instincts.

For Fenuyi, taking part in the Anadu Art Fair carries a clear meaning: it “means I can introduce myself to the art community and share my way of creating art.” It’s a modest description of what is, for a self-taught artist working outside any established tradition, a significant first step into a wider conversation.

Follow Fenuyi’s story on Instagram: @uniquenessartwork