Artist statement
Àpótí Ọlọ́wẹ̀ is a love story rooted in Yoruba craft and memory. The series follows Ayo, a young woodcarver, and Morenike, his muse, as their relationship unfolds across six chapters,from a chiefs’ meeting that shapes their fate to an engagement and its aftermath.
Each chapter features a central digital painting paired with small digital sculptures: stools, charms, and carved objects that act as symbols and clues. These forms emulate the storytelling traditions of Yoruba artisans who used everyday objects to hold history, emotion, and meaning.
Inspired by Olowe of Ise and the broader tradition of Yoruba woodcarvers—many of whose names have been swallowed by history. These were artists who poured intention, culture, and history into carved wood. Their work endured; their names often did not, Àpótí Ọlọ́wẹ̀ is partly a reckoning with that erasure. The series asks what it means to carry a craft forward.
Though created digitally, Àpótí Ọlọ́wẹ̀ continues the philosophy that objects can speak. They can hold love, conflict, lineage, and the weight of tradition.
Ultimately, Àpótí Ọlọ́wẹ̀ is a tribute: to Yoruba storytelling, to the artistry that shaped generations, and to the evolving language of African digital expression.
Visual archive
Works, studies, objects, and design elements from the series—come closer, look around. This is the world Ayo lives in.
Release schedule
Six chapters across six months—May through September 2026. Each release is a self-contained world that advances Ayo’s story, built from a 1/1 digital painting, a set of digital sculptures, written narrative, and optional archival prints. You can follow from the beginning, or step in wherever the story finds you.
Dates are subject to change. I will always announce if any date changes.
● Now live
Precursor Month
Entry tokens, world primer & narrative introduction, early access, social teasers, merch reveal
Apr 1–May 2
01
The Chiefs’ Meeting
A gathering of elders gives insight into the character of Ayo and the outlook of society on his craft
May 3
02
Ìpàdé
The Meeting — Ayo and Morenike first cross paths
Jun 1
03
L’abẹ Igi Oronbo
Under the Orange Tree — a moment of intimacy, truth, and shared vulnerability
Jul 1
04
Ilé Agbẹgilérè
The Sculptor’s House — inside Ayo’s world of craft, lineage, and symbolic creation
Aug 1
05
The Engagement
An event that tests family expectations, tradition, and love — the role of the Àpótí is revealed
Sep 1
06
Aftermath
Narrative resolution, emotional closure — key elements and characters revealed
Sep 27
Post
Collector Rewards Unlock & World Compendium
Gold rewards, digital book, character deep dives, exhibition, optional commemorative items
Oct – Nov
Upcoming auction · The Ìjòkòó Set
The Gems of Chapter 1, the Ìjòkòó Set — these are stools present in the chief's meeting a testament of Ayo's craft.
I J Ò K Ò Ó
Carved stools of power & presence
Triple-tap to unveil · Touch or hover to explore
The Ìjòkòó Set auction opens with Chapter One — May 3, 2026. Holding an Entry Token gives you access to bid. Acquire yours before the auction.
Token dynamics & privileges
The tokens are your entry into the world of Àpótí Ọlọ́wẹ̀. Each tier unlocks a different relationship with the series—its paintings, its sculptures, and the story unfolding across six chapters.
- Bid & buy paintings and sculptures
- Name on the project monolith
- Bid & buy paintings and sculptures
- Exclusive access to select works
- Àpótí Ọlọ́wẹ̀ merch
- Name on the project monolith
- Granted to bidders at each auction
- One airdrop per chapter — six total
- Unlocks collector reward at series close
Token burn mechanism: Collect five Entry (Wood) tokens and burn them to redeem one Bronze token, unlocking the elevated tier of privileges.
From the conversation
Àpótí Ọlọ́wẹ̀
Apoti Olowe
The opening thread—the name, the concept, and what it means to build a serialized narrative around the Chest.
Ìgbàradì
Preparation
On the research and preparation phase—the Yoruba references, the world-building around Ayo, the traditional objects and their significance.
Ìlẹ̀kun Ìtàn
The Door of Story
The door — the story etched in wooden panels; the Yoruba etch stories in door panels, it's only fitting to advance the tradition.
Research & work in progress
This is the thinking behind the work—opened up so you can walk through it. The references that shaped each decision, the questions still being turned over, the current state of the series. You are not just watching something finished; you are arriving while it is still alive. Updated as each chapter develops.
Foundation
Olowe of Ise — primary research
Deep study of Olowe of Ise and other Yoruba woodcarvers—their veranda posts, palace doors, vessels, and carved objects. Key references: the Òpó collection held at the Met, the lidded bowl held at the Smithsonian, and the Ikere palace doors now held at the British Museum. Focus on compositional innovations, symbolic language, and the oral praise poetry composed in their honour.
World-building
Developing Ayo’s world
Building the narrative architecture: who Ayo is, his craft, his relationship with Morenike, and the objects that populate his world. Each sculpture is a story object—part of a living Yoruba visual language, not decoration.
Cultural layer
Yoruba symbolic motifs
Researching carved stools, charms, ornamentation, and ritual objects as narrative devices. Studying how Yoruba craftwork embedded meaning inside form—and how to translate that into digital sculpture without losing it's charm and meaning.
Now — Precursor phase
Entry tokens, world primer & teasers
April 2026. Collectors acquire entry tokens; the world primer and narrative are introduced. Early access, social teasers, and merch reveal are underway ahead of the first chapter drop on May 3.
Upcoming
Six chapter drops — May through September
Monthly releases beginning May 3, 2026. Each chapter: 1/1 digital painting, digital sculpture set, written narrative, and optional archival print. Final drop September 27. Token gated auctions will be held on this website, there will also be limited edition releases on Transientlabs and Objkt.
Post-series
Collector rewards & world compendium
October–November 2026. Gold rewards unlock, digital book, physical books on demand, character deep dives, exhibition possibilities, and optional commemorative items for collectors.
● Now live
Precursor — Apr 1–May 2
○ May 3
Ch. 01 — The Chiefs’ Meeting
○ Jun 1
Ch. 02 — Ìpàdé
○ Jul 1
Ch. 03 — L’abẹ Igi Oronbo
○ Aug 1
Ch. 04 — Ilé Agbẹgilérè
○ Sep 1
Ch. 05 — The Engagement
○ Sep 27
Ch. 06 — Aftermath