As the Yuletide season ushers in reflection, generosity, and celebration, renowned Nigerian metal sculptor Dotun Popoola has extended a distinctive Christmas gift to art lovers and collectors across the globe. Drawing from his formidable armoury of commissioned works, the celebrated artist has released a specially curated December wallpaper, offering the public a visual encounter with one of his most ambitious sculptures, ‘The Swift Ascendant.‘

Words Ireho Aito | Don’t Keep Your Art in the Finger! Photographs courtesy Dotun Popoola

Announcing the gesture on his social media handle, Facebook with the warm invitation, “Let me give you a wallpaper for December,” Popoola transforms a monumental, private commission into a shared seasonal experience, one that bridges fine art, brand storytelling, and cultural preservation.

According to the artist, the creation of The Swift Ascendant demanded “absolute determination, dexterity, laser focus, and constant grinding.” The work is a masterclass in metal sculpture, constructed from hundreds of meticulously crafted components, each layered with symbolism and intention.

At its core, the sculpture features swifts in flight, delicately formed from golden cutlery, a nod to motion, freedom, and aspiration. Over three hundred sculpted grape forms and two hundred grapevine leaves echo the heritage of Martell, the historic cognac house for which the work was commissioned. Life-sized barrels embedded within the composition symbolise transformation, patience, and legacy, while a fleet of four ships references Martell’s expansive global reach.

Further enriching the visual narrative are emblematic details such as the pear signifying refined taste and the blue deer, a powerful metaphor for endurance. One of Popoola’s most cherished elements is the central swift itself, which cradles Martell’s iconic bottles beneath its wings. The Blue Swift bottle represents modern innovation and reinvention, while the VS bottle anchors the work in heritage, craftsmanship, and time.

Beyond brand symbolism, Popoola emphasises that the sculpture also reflects his personal philosophy. “Art must communicate, preserve cultures, challenge, and elevate,” he notes. This belief is evident not only in the complexity of The Swift Ascendant but also in the artist’s decision to gift its image freely during the festive season.

By releasing the artwork as a wallpaper, Dotun Popoola blurs the boundaries between exclusive commission and public appreciation, allowing homes, devices, and personal spaces to momentarily host a piece of sculptural grandeur. It is a gesture that aligns seamlessly with his long-standing advocacy for recycling, reuse, and sustainable creativity principles that have defined his practice.

One could easily spot Dotun Popoola’s latest masterpiece gracing a garden along Alausa, Ikeja, where passers-by and families now pose with the towering sculpture — a festive focal point that has become the talk of Lagos this season. The work, The Swift Ascendant, which Popoola has made available as a free December wallpaper for art lovers, sits comfortably alongside his growing public commissions that translate recycled metal into spectacular, photo-ready public art.
Born in Lagos in 1981, Dotun Popoola trained in painting and fine art, earning a National Diploma from Auchi Polytechnic before completing his first and second degrees (B.A. and M.A.) in Fine and Applied Arts at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, where he specialised in sculpture and painting. He is based in Ile-Ife and runs the Scrap Art Museum, a studio-cum-museum dedicated to eco-arts and sustainable creativity that has become a destination for collectors, students and tourists. He once revealed to Cable News Network, CNN magazine show – ‘Inside Africa,’ one of the reasons for moving to Ile – Ife is the serenity of the ancient town and room to create endlessly. He maintains that freedom is readily available in such a town. Dotun has been able to capture the globe through his metals that he claims he speak with and they listen to him.

Popoola’s signature is monumental, polychromatic sculptures assembled from discarded automotive and industrial parts, motorcycle tanks, brake pads, car struts, bolts and generator pieces that are remade into animals, figures and brand commissions. His process is both artisanal and theatrical: cutting, welding, painting and composing dozens to hundreds of salvaged elements until each piece reads as a cohesive, expressive whole. The resulting works are at once ecological statements and aesthetic showpieces.

The flourishing Agege boy today has delivered standout commissions for public spaces, private collectors and brand collaborations. ‘The Swift Ascendant,’ created for Martell’s “Martell on the Move” campaign, is a prominent recent example. This is a richly symbolic sculpture incorporating hundreds of grape forms, grapevine leaves, barrels and bottle motifs that articulate Martell’s heritage and global reach. His work has also been exhibited internationally and one of them was a recent solo exhibition “Reclaimed Beauty” opened at the Heydar Aliyev Center in Azerbaijan, demonstrating his growing global profile.

We all know him as the prince of metals. He lives and speaks with them. Popoola is a familiar name on Nigeria’s contemporary art circuit and beyond. He has shown at ART X Lagos and mounted solo exhibitions such as Irin Ajo (Journey); his work has been covered by major outlets and art platforms and included in curated international shows, underlining his reputation as one of West Africa’s most visible scrap-metal sculptors.

Dotun Popoola’s creative influence continues to stretch far beyond the traditional boundaries of visual art, weaving seamlessly into the worlds of fashion, runway culture, and global creative exchange. Known for transforming discarded metal into powerful sculptural narratives, Popoola has steadily built a network that connects art, design, and high fashion at the highest level.

Earlier this year, that expansive creative ecosystem culminated in an extraordinary encounter with the undisputed Queen of the Runway, Naomi Campbell.

Following over a year of sustained conversations and creative exchange, the two icons finally met, significantly, not on a foreign runway or gallery floor, but within Popoola’s own environment. The meeting, charged with presence and purpose, was aptly described as a moment of “Steel and Steez” meaning a convergence of Popoola’s industrial sculptural language and Campbell’s timeless elegance.

During the meeting, Popoola presented Campbell with an exclusive limited-edition print of his coffee-table book (1 of only 10 copies), a gesture symbolising rarity, respect, and shared creative values. What followed was not merely a presentation, but an intimate moment of fellowship and an exchange rooted in mutual admiration and the power of global Black excellence.

Beyond the symbolism of the meeting lies a larger narrative. The encounter signals the beginning of a forthcoming collaborative venture, Naomi × Dotun, a project already generating anticipation across art and fashion circles. While details remain under wraps, the collaboration promises to merge Popoola’s raw material-driven practice with Campbell’s iconic fashion legacy.

For Popoola, the moment stands as a proof to consistency, originality, and unwavering commitment to craft.

As the artist notes on his Facebook page, “You have to be 1 of 1 to meet No. 1. You must grind consistently, show up every day, and never become a photocopy.”