“I’m an artist… ish,” states Olaolu Slawn when asked to describe himself. Which, when you consider he famously dubbed himself a ‘con artist’ in a 2022 interview with ES Magazine, it sounds about right.

While the rest of us were baking banana bread during lockdown, Slawn – co-founder of Nigerian streetwear brand Motherlan - was getting creative with canvas. “I was like ‘f**k it, everyone’s losing their minds, I need to do something,” he explains. The result was a series of canvases, which has evolved into collections of large-scale designs and smaller, hand-held pieces featuring spray painted faces, cartoonish graphics, and, of course, his trademark penises - and the start of a killer new career path.

Three years on and his work is generating bidding wars via his Instagram auctions. His stunts are driving mass hype (look up Slawn at the Saatchi Gallery for reference). He’s selling out exhibitions. And he’s just followed in the footsteps of Damien Hirst and the late Dame Vivienne Westwood to create a Brit (not that he wants to talk about it… “It’s done and dusted,” he says amused).

When asked about his ‘con-artist’ label, he laughs: “I did that just so I have a get-out-of-jail free card in case something happens. That’s why I call myself a ‘con artist’. If nothing comes of it, I can say it’s a scam, it’s fine.” A way to protect himself, it seems. But perhaps not one that’s needed.

While Slawn may have made a name for himself as someone who isn’t trying too hard, beneath the laidback exterior there’s a big work ethic. This is a guy who’s collaborated with the likes of Off-White and Central Cee. Who’s been praised and spotlighted by everyone from Virgil Abloh (who he credited, in part, for his success in the previously mentioned ES Magazine interview: “He faked it for me ‘till I made it. He kept telling people I was cool until everyone believed I was cool.”) to Skepta, who included him within his Sotheby’s ‘Contemporary Curated’ auction. Despite his reluctance, he’s making it big.

Earlier this year he was announced as a member of the FLANNELS Creative Council, a next-generation advisory board filled with six of the most inspiring voices in the industry. As part of his position, he’ll be launching ‘Slawn & Friends: The Art Kiosk’ at FLANNELS X from the 14th to 27th July 2023. A fully Slawn-ified shop-within-a-shop displaying and selling his original works.

“This all started as a joke,” he says. “But sometimes jokes become serious and that’s just how life is, man.” And serious it is. Today, Slawn’s studio is filled with collaborators and supporters. His upcoming ‘The Art Kiosk’ at FLANNELS X will see him bring together work from Lagos-born, London-based multi-hyphenate Solider Boyfriend, creative director of Motherlan, Onyedi, London-based fine artist Teoni, and multi-disciplinary artist Cato. For two weeks, the collective’s artwork will join originals from Slawn on the first floor of FLANNELS X, with fresh drops landing each Friday.

When asked if his success has changed his headspace, Slawn’s thoughtful: “Somehow. You know what it is, my dad used to play this audiobook called Something For Nothing by Brian Tacy. I never listened to it, but I feel like somehow, subliminally, it just embedded in me because you give me paint and some wood, and I’ll make something.”

“I’m not an artist,” he argues. “I’m just someone who wants to use what I can around me. If there’s a canvas, I’ll paint. If there’s a laptop, I’ll scan...”

I point out that this is creativity; that this is what makes him an artist. And he agrees. “Yeah. Sometimes I don’t achieve the right results, but I’ll still put it out and just make sure I do better next time.”

He cites perfectionism as being the enemy for many but something he’s determined not to fall prey to. “That must be… imagine you’ve made something that to you is not that great but to everyone else it is, and you still don’t put it out.” Building a solid community of people he trusts, seems to be the antidote. “I’m not one of those artists, that’s like ‘no one in my studio’,” he says. “I keep people around just so that there’s key opinions on how the work is going. It’s my work but when I present it to the masses, every single person in my studio while I’m working represents the masses. So, if they’re like that’s done, that’s cool, that’s finished, I know that if I put it out, it’ll be sick.”

Trust and community and friendship are clearly key for Slawn, which is why it comes as a surprise when he says most people think he’s rude: “The biggest misconception people have about me is some people think I’m rude. I’ve never been that person. I always like to make everyone feel comfortable.”

He shows this throughout our chat. Charming and inquisitive, he asks as many questions as he answers. A thirst to understand the world – and the people – around him, is surely exactly what an artist is?

For someone who’s achieved all this, at just 22, with only three years (although he does quote his previous 20 were spent gathering the experiences that now fuel his art) under his belt, he is, however, hard to impress. When asked what his career highs have been to date, he says: “I have no highlights in my career. Not at the moment.”

This might seem at odds for a man who has achieved so much but perhaps it’s smart. As we touch on the Brit (that he doesn’t want to talk about) he reasons: “It’s not the end of the story, it’s just the beginning.”

Slawn’s intent on looking forward, not looking back. Whilst he won’t say what’s next, when it comes to what he hopes for for 2023, he says: “It’s just the year I need to put my head down and just... Now, I’m transitioned into the actual art world and there’s like critics and s**t… I just want my work to be undeniable.”

Undeniable. It’s a big word. A word that leaves no room for any doubt that this is an artist.

Slawn & Friends: The Art Kiosk, FLANNELS X, Oxford Street, London, 14th July to 27th July.