Lladró Presents The Dreamer by Láolú Senbanjo

Lladró presents its newest collection, The Dreamer by Láolú, which marks the brand’s first collaboration with an African artist, Láolú Senbanjo.

The prominent New York-based Nigerian artist joins Lladró to express the spirituality of the Yoruba heritage through porcelain art. Two limited edition sculptures blend influences from Yoruba culture, known for its deep religious beliefs, and other Nigerian traditions, with a contemporary twist. The Lladró porcelain is treated as a blank canvas that brings to life Senbajo’s creative vision.

Culture, tradition, spirituality, Africa…

Visual artist, musician, human rights lawyer, and activist, Láolú Senbanjo, also known as “Laolu NYC”, is the first artist invited to collaborate in the collection. The Dreamer by Láolú plays with the artist’s signature geometric patterns in black and gold on white porcelain. The translation of Senbanjo’s drawing to porcelain is a testament to Lladro’s craftsmanship, with each stroke being hand engraved and hand-painted in black and gold lustre.

Left: The Dreamer by Láolú 300 units Right: The Dreamer by Láolú 1500 units

Materialization of a Spiritual Connection with Art

Senbanjo’s creative process, which the artist calls “the Sacred Art of the Ori”, is a spiritually guided exercise that seeks to elevate consciousness as much as it seeks to create a work of art. The black colour and various shapes create complex, story-driven designs that draw heavily on the author’s Yoruba roots.

Inspired by Yoruba body painting rituals, he applies traditional African patterns with charcoal, ink, and paint on everything from buildings and cars to paper, wood, and the skin of his models. And now, also on porcelain: “When I met Lladró, I was impressed by the different cultures I saw represented in their universe”, explains Láolú. “It’s the first time I’ve worked with porcelain. It has a shine and luster when exposed to light that doesn’t appear in any other type of ceramic, and it’s beautiful; something so striking and genuine. The elegance it gives off is something that cries out for art, for visions of different expressions.”

The Dreamer by Láolú highlights a dynamic partnership between Lladró and Láolú. It establishes a meeting point between cultures and a creative expression where there are no rules or limits. The collection is part of a larger mission to provide more visibility and awareness of culture and the arts. Láolú reinterprets ancestral techniques, exploring new creative paths to keep ancient traditions alive.

The Dreamer: a new creative Project where global artists give life to their imagination

The artists express a way of seeing and understanding the world in their designs produced in limited series of between 300 and 1,500 units. A new space where two sculptures, a head and a bust, become a blank canvas for artists and a metaphor for the universe that lives in each of us. Evoking dreams, thoughts, aspirations, concerns… the universe of the artist is expressed through artistic sculpture in porcelain.

The Dreamer by Láolú is available until supplies last. The collection will be available online at lladro.com and Lladró boutiques around the world.

Lladró, 21st-century porcelain

For seventy years, Lladró has deployed its unparalleled know-how in the field of porcelain in its only factory in the world, in Valencia. Each piece is delicately made by sculptors and artisans in an entirely handcrafted process that combines age-old techniques with its own unmistakable palette of colors. Lladró also explores the vast creative potential of porcelain in collaborative projects with renowned contemporary artist and designers. The universe of the brand, property of PHI Industrial since 2016, embraces sculptures, lighting, objects for the home and interior design as well as fashion accessories.

Famous all over the world, Lladró is an ambassador for Spain in the over 120 countries to which it exports its porcelains through a select network of its own boutiques and distributors, giving it around 1200 points of sale all over the planet.

About Láolú Senbanjo

Láolú Senbanjo otherwise known as “Laolu NYC,” is a Nigerian bred, Brooklyn based performance and visual artist, singer, songwriter, musician, human rights lawyer, and activist. Having started his career in law, Láolú has always sought out to help others reveal their truth. To do this, he navigates in the way that comes most natural to him: through never ending depths of his artwork. After practicing law for 3 years in Nigeria, he moved to New York City where he has devoted his time to being a full-time artist ever since.

Láolú has worked with those such as Taraji P. Henson, Lupita Nyongo, Alicia Keys, Swizz Beats, Danielle Brooks, and has had his Sacred Art of the Ori body ritual featured on Beyoncé’s 2016 Grammy award winning “Lemonade”. Láolú has graced the covers of The New York Times alongside having features in The Fader, Vogue, Vice, CNN, BBC, and more.

His growing list of collaborations includes brands such as Kenneth Cole, Nike, Equinox Fitness, Starbucks, Belvedere, Bvlgari, TED and many more. Láolú Senbanjo’s captivating multimedia works explore the connection between African art and spiritualism. Trained as a lawyer in Nigeria, Senbanjo moved to Brooklyn in 2013 to pursue his dream of becoming an artist.

https://laolu.nyc