SOLDIER is one of the luckiest guys in the world. “If you’re having this conversation with me, Amy, maybe today you’re gonna win a car,” the artist tells me over Zoom. “Seriously, buy a lottery ticket — my luck seems to rub off on people.”
Of course, what some people call luck is often down to a mixture of raw talent, a strong work ethic and an ability to make the most out of any opportunity — which is why SOLIDER, real name Leo Iheagwam, probably thinks he’s been on such a winning streak.
Born in Nigeria, SOLDIER ran away from home aged 16. “I was basically a street kid,” he says, adding that he spent the majority of his time skateboarding or visiting Lagos’ only skate shop, WAFFLESNCREAM.
Although he always knew he wanted to be an artist, in his teen years it felt like a distant fever dream. Now, aged 23, SOLDIER is one of London’s most explosive rising artists, who is debuting his latest series on Instagram today (Friday 18 August).
The four acrylic and mixed media on canvas pieces comprising SOLDIER’s new collection are each emboldened with a painting of his passport. “I’m Nigerian so my passport is one of the weakest,” he says. It’s true, according to the current Henley Passport Index report, the Nigerian passport ranks 88th out of the 109 national passports in the world, and can only enter 46 out of 227 countires without a prior visa. “My life has always been immigration, passports, travelling, airports, visa – so my work showcases that and creates awareness,” he adds.
“We live in such an unfair world where people are born into a country, and based on how things went down in history, they are not allowed to travel the world,” SOLDIER says of his inspiration for the new collection. “I know many kids in Nigeria who will never, ever leave the country or get a certain type of education from travelling the world.”
The multi-hyphenate creative traces his good fortune to a chance run in with Grace Ladoja and Alex Sossah, the founders of London-based global culture studio, Metallic Inc - which took place during their Homecoming festival in Lagos. Through the pair, he also met legendary Grime artist Skepta and the three made him a deal: finish school, get good grades and they’d pay for him to attend university in London.
“I didn’t know how serious they were being, but it sparked a fire in my heart. After a year I came to them and I told them, ‘See I have everything - even the university [place]’, because they had given me an invitation to come. ‘So, now you have to pay up.’ And they did. I came here [to London] with just one bag of clothes and nothing else.”
SOLDIER wasn’t alone though, friends Slawn and Onyedi - who he co-founded skate collective Motherlan with - moved to the capital at the same time. They wasted no time making an impact on their new city, landing a joint i-D cover for “changing the face of Lagos skate culture” before they had even fully moved into their East London flat.
“When I came to London, I was just really hungry. I just decided: ‘Okay, now that I’m here, I’m just gonna treat every day like it’s my last, because it could be my last,’” says SOLDIER.
The artist explains that he began by channelling this drive into the trademark camouflage style he’s become synonymous with. “In Nigeria there’s a rule that you’re not allowed to wear camouflage if you’re a civilian,” he explains. “I’m a skateboarder. I love camouflage as part of hip hop history, so I was wearing a pair of camo pants at the time. [ A policeman] starts giving me hell, he’s like, ‘Take off your pants or we’re gonna f*** you up’ type vibe. I was 16 at the time and that really left an impression on me.”
For SOLDIER, the pattern represents his new independence. “I was like, ‘If I was to make art, I’m going to use something that kind of represents freedom.’ So I use camouflage to represent me taking something and making it mine.”
These pieces of work are now highly in-demand, and SOLDIER is discerning about who can own them. “People buy it just by reaching out to me. If I do want to sell it, I tell them to email my team. I pick my collectors - it can’t just be anyone because it’s a piece of me, and I don’t want to just give anyone a piece of me.” The latest people allowed into his exclusive collectors circle are designer Heron Preston and UFC fighter Marlon Vera.
If you think you recognise his camo artwork, it might be because you saw some of the pieces on show around London.
In May, the artist hosted the “SOLDIER London tour”, where he displayed his work outside major London landmarks as part of an impactful guerilla-style exhibition. “Many galleries don’t really f*** with me. They think, ‘let’s give him 50 more years before we give him a f****** opportunity.’ If I’m not going to get to museums right now, so I’m just going to become the museum.”
Stationed in front of the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and the Tate Modern, SOLDIER had a saxphonist play jazz music as passerbys admired his creationson on easels. “I want a random kid to see a piece of art and say, ‘Oh this is cool’. Not just because it’s on a white wall,” he says of the tour.
Then there are SOLDIER’s side quests, which have included modelling for Supreme, collaborating with Duke + Dexter on a leopard print loafer and shooting editorials for Dazed. “People might think I’m a commercial artist, but nah, it’s not commercial. I make friends and they ask me to collaborate, and I want to do everything as long as it’s creative.”
When SOLDIER says “everything”, he means everything, with plans to put his artwork in subversive places, from on sex toys to in apps.
“There’s always, like, subtle hints of artistry and creativity in everything, and I really want to explore that. That’s why I chose the name ‘SOLDIER’ not because I believe in wars, but I want to take something that has one meaning and change it to something that’s more beautiful,” he explains.
“We live in an ugly world. We can’t escape ugliness. But I think as an artist your ability to change that, to take something that’s bad and make it entertaining or good, or at least make people think, is your job.”
