10 Questions with Khaldun Oluwa

Khaldun Oluwa of Eternal Blackness Art is an Atlanta based oil painter, community builder, and activist. The sole intention of all his work is to invoke higher levels of consciousness and bring Truth to power. Khaldun has been featured in articles by Zanderland Productions, The Black Art Fanatic, Voyage ATL, and the Atlanta Creative Loafing. Khaldun’s work has also been featured in small films and motion pictures to include: “Monopolized”, “His, Hers, and the Truth”, “Ode To Blackness”, and “The Mystery Of Eternity, Revelations”. Khaldun’s solo exhibits include: Creative Fusion - 2013, Glimpse Into Eternity - 2014, Eternal In The Present Tense - 2015, A Reality Eternal - 2016, Eternal Illumination - 2017, The Mystery Of Eternity – 2018, Eternity Never Begins – 2019, OLUWA is Eternal – 2020, Eternal Conception – 2021.

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ARTIST STATEMENT

Khaldun Oluwa is an American artist with national exposure. His paintings are suffused with ancient African iconography fused with empowering Black imagery.

His artistic universe is likewise sustained in Blackness, and everything that exists therein is created out of the Blackness. Painting in a figurative style and integrating surrealist elements, Oluwa's art bridges past and present, proving that we still have much to learn from our collective history.

INTERVIEW

First of all, introduce yourself to our readers. Who you are and how did you start experimenting with images?

I am Khaldun OLUWA of Eternal Blackness Art. I am an oil painter, and my Soul purpose as an artist is to express myself freely, free of all regulations, stipulations, and limitations. Therefore, the images I experiment with are projections of Freedom. The images I produce are in direct conflict with all conditioning factors instituted to arrest my Mental and Spiritual development.

You are an artist and activist. How would you define your art?

As an activist and artist, my work is Revolutionary. Revolutionary in the sense that the imagery has self convicting intentions.

Can you tell us about the process of creating your work? What is your artistic routine when working?

My process is simple. It's all a matter of me releasing the immense capacity of creativity and visions that constantly fill my thoughts. I stretch the canvas to suit my visions because I can already see what I'm going to say and how I'm going to say it in a painting.

Where do you find inspiration for your work?

I draw inspiration from the functions of the Universe, my experiences in Life, Ancient Alkebulan (Africa), mathematics, science, conversation, and Spirituality.

Land Lord, Oil painting, 48x60 inches, 2021 © Khaldun Oluwa

Memory Of The Future, Oil painting, 48x60 inches, 2017 © Khaldun Oluwa

What do you see as the strengths of your art, visually or conceptually?

Visually, the strength of my art is the understanding of layering and being able to apply the right colors and shades to achieve my desired effects. Conceptually, my strengths are that I'm able to tell my story in refutation of the story that has been reinterpreted, retranslated, and flat out made up.

How do you differentiate yours from the rest? In other words, what do you feel makes your work unique and truly your own?

My work is unique in that my art comes from my Soul, which enables my thoughts to contemplate deep self-realization, and by reasoning and understanding, I transfer the vision onto the canvas. I differentiate from others because no one can think like I think or do what I do.

MAGDA, Oil painting, 48x60 inches, 2020 © Khaldun Oluwa

In your art you reference ancient African iconography Black imagery. Tell us more about those two, how do you mix them and incorporate them in your work?

Being a Black Man in America, I was never taught Africa's true and thorough history. However, as I began to study African history and culture independently, I realized that there are many discrepancies and lies in my education and everything that I was accustomed to believing in. So, incorporating African iconography and Black imagery only makes my story more intriguing.

Do you find that the shift to digital exhibitions and art fairs has helped you promoting your work?

Digital space has definitely allowed me to reach people and places that I could not even have imagined.