I’m Dara Babalola, the artist behind Friday The Fourth —the house my art lives in.

My work begins with noticing: the way people move around one another, small gestures between people, places we remember differently from how they really were, and the fragments of childhood that follow us into adulthood.

Working across mixed media, I build, obscure and scrape back layers until forms begin to emerge. Figures, paths and familiar objects appear and disappear—sometimes clearly, sometimes only partially visible—much like memories themselves.

I’m interested in the ordinary moments that become meaningful only after they have passed, and in creating work that feels familiar before you quite understand why.

The paintings shown here are originals. If one speaks to you, enquire below to begin a conversation.