An 11-year-old boy living in Lagos, Nigeria, has blown away the art world with his hyperrealistic portraits and skilled drawings.
Kareem Waris Olamilekan was praised by French President Emmanuel Macron during the latter’s visit to Fela Kuti's New Africa Shrine in Lagos.
Inspired by artists like Michelangelo and fellow Nigerian portraitist Arinze Stanley Egbengwu, he produced a stunning portrait of Macron in just two hours.
Olamilekan attends the local Ayowole Academy of Art, works from a makeshift art studio in a poor neighbourhood and uses primarily pencil to create incredibly detailed portraits of friends, family, and notable figures. He also incorporates ballpoint pen, paint, and pastels into his drawings.
Also known as Waspa, he says: "The inspiration is especially my family”.
"Everybody in my society has little now. They struggle and sweat for their eats."
Graduate art student Adeniyi Adewole said: "He can go far, farther than even beyond our expectations because I believe he's going somewhere greater.
"We used to tell him don't see yourself like a roadside artist. Believe you can have a name like Michelangelo, like [Leonardo] da Vinci."
And if Olamilekan has anything to say about it, that’s exactly what will happen.
"I want to see myself among the great artists, in museums," he said.
