Heavy Is The Head by The Artsman

Sanjo Lawal, known as The Artsman, is a Nigerian photographer with deep thoughts to share. Culture, responsibility, reflection, steadfastness, stewardship, and hope, are all infused in his art. Shot with his iPhone and digitally refined using Adobe, he tells a powerful story in one shot.

Sanjo’s signatures are truly his. The darkest of skins speak to his pride in Blackness and everything that comes with it. Unapologetic. Surrounding everything in a kaleidoscope are all shades of reds, yellows, greens, blues…adding joy, warmth and hope. Most striking is the headgear: heavy, sculptural, and impossible to ignore. It sits on his subjects like a physical manifestation of responsibility, experience, and inherited burden.

And yet, the figures are not in distress. They are composed—sometimes serene, sometimes prayerful, always steadfast. Sanjo reminds us that what weighs on us does not only constrain us; it can also steady us. The very load we carry—our mistakes, our histories, our obligations—can become the source of the strength that allows us to move forward, toward something hopeful.

See some of our various artworks below.

Visit Sanjo’s website to buy his prints. He also has a fashion brand that’s in the spirit of his art.