Sola Olulode: First Kiss
Sola Olulode’s painting imagines a queer couple at the beginning of their romance, capturing a sense of joy, and creating a space for celebrating queer love.
Sola Olulode’s paintings are dreamy queer visions that explore embodiments of British Black women and non-binary people. She allows her figures to boldly and unapologetically take up space, celebrating tender, intimate and joyful moments of queer love.
‘I’m painting things I want to see more of,’ Olulode says. ‘I wasn’t witnessing enough stories of Black queer couples visibly happy and at peace, existing in the bubble of romance.’
The canvas is dyed, and layered with paints and pastels to develop a textural surface that reflects the fluidities of identities, including aspects of femininity, race and belonging.
Olulode works with textiles, paints, dyes, batik, wax and ink, and is influenced by Nigerian Yoruba Adire textiles that use indigo inks and resist dye techniques.
Times & tickets
Dates, times and prices
Dates & times
April 2024 – April 2025
Standard entry
Free – no ticket required
Make a donation
Help us open up the arts to everyone by making a one-off or a recurring donation.
For your visit
This event is held at the Queen Elizabeth Hall Southbank Centre
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is open from 90 minutes before events start until they finish. It’s closed at all other times.
Plan your visit
The Queen Elizabeth Hall is home to both our second-largest auditorium and the Purcell Room.
Getting here
Our address is Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1 8XX.
The nearest tube stations to us are Waterloo and Embankment; Waterloo is also the nearest train station. And more than 20 different London bus routes pass within 500 metres of our venues. More information on getting here by rail, road or river is available on our Getting here page.
We’re cash-free
Please note that we’re unable to accept cash payments across our venues.
Access
We’re working hard to remove barriers, so that our facilities and events can be accessible to as many people as possible.
All help points, toilets, performance and exhibition spaces at the Southbank Centre are accessible to all, as are the cafes, bars and restaurants. We also have excellent public transport links with step-free access.
All information about booking wheelchair spaces, step-free access, blue badge parking, access maps and guides and other help available whilst you’re here, including details about our Access Scheme, can be found on our Access page.
Food & drink
Queen Elizabeth Hall is home to our glass-fronted Concrete Cafe, the ideal spot to recharge, or catch up with friends, whilst the bustle of Central London and the River Thames carries on around you.
From coffee to cocktails, filling favourites to fine dining, plus some of London’s best street food – it’s all here at the Southbank Centre.