Carol Oyekunle is a Kenyan-American artist and accessories designer based in Paris. Carol’s work as a painter has been inspired by a diverse array of modernist and contemporary artists ranging from Gustav Klimt, Henri Matisse, Koloman Moser, and Alfons Mucha, to Richard Avedon, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. More recent post-contemporary influences include Kehinde Wiley, Yinka Shonibare and Banksy. The paintings and digital artworks are a series of mixed-media collages inspired by fashion editorial photography and vintage ‘Vogue’ magazine covers. The entire collection is painted on a gold-leaf or primary color background reminiscent of the religious paintings found in early Christian art and is representative of a modern take on the ‘religion’ of fashion. The 'heroines' are depicted in simple black and white. The 'background' elements (hair; jewelry; clothing) are given center stage with the use of collages incorporating Swarovski crystals, feathers, fashion magazine clippings, animal textures, mirror mosaic, decorative paper and glitter.
