Adedolapo Boluwatife is a photographer and filmmaker from Lagos, Nigeria, born in the Ojodu area in 1996. He studied English Language and Literary Studies at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife. Initially a writer and sketch artist, his zeal to explore more media of expression led him to join the university photography club, where he was exposed to modernist and avant-garde photography. Immersing himself in the works of Alfred Stieglitz, Edward Steichen, Man Ray, Ansel Adams, and contemporary photographers like Viviane Sassen and Rotimi Fani-Kayode, he found his voice in photography and filmmaking.
As an introvert, Adedolapo struggled to vocalize the many ideas and thoughts that flood his mind, but photography and filmmaking became the most effective means of expression for him. His work reflects personal experiences, beliefs, and challenges, often symbolizing his struggles to fit into and contribute to society and his quest for freedom. Profoundly shaped by his environment, his current nature-themed works stem from a newfound appreciation for the healing power of nature, emphasizing its importance for mental and creative well-being. With creative use of natural lighting and intense composition, he exposes his opinions, concerns, beliefs, adventures, and ordeals through his work, exploring the multifaceted realities of society; from its stunning beauty to its stark challenge, shedding light on complex elements like beauty, gender, politics, mental health, climate, human culture, and lifestyle.
Adedolapo earned second place in the 2024 Art Partner CreateCOP29 Art Prize and finalist status for the 2024 Daniel Tagmani Foundation Grant for Photography; the Contemporary African Photography (CAP) Prize (2024), as well as the LensCulture Fine Art Award (2024). He was also recipient of the Prazzle Inc. Galaxy Artist Grant (March 2024), HUG 2024 Artists to Watch, and the LensCulture Critics’ Choice Award (2023). He was honorably mentioned for the United Nations Photography for Humanity Prize (2024) and Prazzle’s Visionary 35 Creatives (2024). He was shortlisted for the Fine Art category of the 2022 500px GPA Award and was a finalist at the Agora Images World ‘Eyes’ Photo Contest (2019). Adedolapo was recently named among the finalists for the 2024 Africa Soft Power Climate Change Photo Essay Prize.
He was commissioned to shoot the cover for the Booker Prize and Dylan Thomas Prize-shortlisted novel, A Spell of Good Things by Ayọ̀bámi Adébáyọ̀. His work has been featured on platforms such as Vogue Philippines (May 2025 Earth Issue), Nataal UK, Nowness, Behance, MAPS Magazine (South Korea), Obscura Magazine (Bulgaria), It’s Nice That, Bored Panda, The Phoblographer, Fair Planet, Tender Photo, and Gida Journal.
Adedolapo has exhibited his works internationally, including at Foto Factory’s Worlds Unmaking exhibition and Iwalewa Haus, Bayreuth, Germany; in Paris at the Identité Plurielle group exhibition; in Lagos at the Through the Lens exhibition at the Alliance Française de Lagos; in Lithuania at the IPMA Photography Festival; at Africa Foto Fest in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire; and at the Africa Soft Power Climate Change Photo Exhibition in Nairobi, Kenya.
Adedolapo Boluwatife currently lives and works in Lagos/Ogun as a freelance photographer and filmmaker. He is currently focusing on projects relating to mental health and climate. His ongoing project, "Invitation to Invade," is a pro-nature and eco-conscious themed project that focuses on the issues of plastic pollution and its dangers.