Charlie Dark
Portrait of Charlie Dark, founder of the Shoreditch based Run Dem crew . Commisioned by London Marathon Events for the BigHalf .
Spraypaint on canvas
2m x 2m
Ahmed
Portrait of Ahmed who I met on Maarif street, selling mint and medical herbs from his farm. Painted on the beach front during the Sbagha Bagha streetart festival. Thanks to the Placebo guys for making this happen. Cassablanca, Morocco
Esther Stanford-Xosei
Portrait of Esther Stanford-Xosei, jurisconsult (legal specialist in jurisprudence), reparationist, (reparations activist), dynamic community advocate and historian.
Esther is a modern day abolitionist and freedom fighter, passionate about law, justice and education and using those as tools in resisting forms or oppression and injustice. Carrying on the legacy of African freedom movements, she is preoccupied with African self-determination from a contemporary Black Nationalist perspective.
She is a champion of reparations as repair, sighting self-repair as being the cornerstone of any people’s process of self-empowerment and restoration of agency (control, empowerment, self-determination). Ultimately transforming, ourselves, families’, communities’, nation and the world in order to leave this earth better than we found it.
Despite public perception of the reparations movement, for her it is not about victimhood and begging for money but about restoring a people’s human right to be repaired and for them to take charge of that process of doing so. Her work is recognition of continuing harm that is a result of slavery, colonialism, neo-colonialism, racism, and the looting of resources and stopping that harm today. By stopping forms of injustice, she believes we can begin the process of reconstruction and repair. Her focus is on stopping the extraction of wealth and recourses today as a first step to reclaiming what is owed yesterday.
She is an advocate for the collective protection of Global Pan-African nationhood and the elevation of the feminine principle as part of the transformation process. She has dedicated her life to the struggle, motivated by her desire to leave a better future for future generations.
Esther is currently completing a PhD in the history of the International Social Movement for Afrikan Reparations in the UK at the university of Chichester.
T-Roy
T-Roy is responsible for the production and selection of music released on the Broadcite music catalogue also doubling up as the host MC of choice for many UK based and international DJs. With a distinctive voice and style evolved from his firm roots in the 1990’s UK music scene, T-Roy switched his focus and direction in 2000 when he setup the experimental music brand ‘Broadcite’ with close creative friends that saw him collaborating with many recording artists experimenting with Future Jazz, Afro beats and electronic dance music.
Usually known to many as the ‘Technician’ because of his tight vocal timing when on the microphone.
T-Roy uses all of the senses when it comes to the subject of music and he can be found regularly crossing continents, having performed in Africa, Asia and all over Europe, whether on the microphone or selecting his own source of Afro tech beats on the decks. His music productions can also be found on various compilations and labels including the Broadcite music imprint.
Having hosted the Broadcite beats and pieces show on London’s ‘Rinse FM’ between 2010 -2012 T-Roy brings a new generation of sound that stays fresh, rising from his African roots. His experimental sound is a fusion of contemporary African grooves and post-modern electronic music. The cultural sounds clash to form a harmonic and rhythmic blend, connecting tradition with technology.
T-Roy is one of the champions of the phrase ‘’Afro Tech’’ that is used to describe the fusion of African traditional instruments / vocals and electronic dance music being forged in the early stages of the London deep house scene in the early 2000’s.
T-Roy continues to connect the dots between the evolving underground music scene in London and contemporary world music.
Photo : Gavin Mills
Raja
Raja, one of the cooolest 12 year olds ever and also a student of #SlumGods Hip hop collective in Dharavi. Incidentally Dharavi is where #Slumdogmillionaire was filmed. But being aware that it’s Asias densest slum didn’t prepare me for the 40 plus people standing in my personal space and literally watching my every move in the direct 37C sun ????
Shiva
Shiva Aka Bboy Prokid from #SlumGods crew. Shiva is 12 years old and has been bboying for the past 3 years. I was blown away by his style, and his passion reminded me of myself when I was this age. Shiva is one of many students from the workshops facilitated by @nme_graffiti_india in Dharavi. Dhavari was founded in 1882 during the British colonial era and is home to over 700,000 people, making it the third largest slum in the world.
Gulabchandra
Gulabchandra Rai from Kurla, ( Bombay 70 ) Tuk Tuk driver. This was the portrait I was working on and had to abandon on my last day in Mumbai. Couldn’t let this one defeat me..he said he doesn’t have a phone so unless he has fam in Leyton I don’t think he will ever see it !!
Leyton , London
Ahmed
Casablanca , Morocco
Elijah
Tema, Ghana
Captan
Captan is a rising Ghanaian reggae/dancehall artist from Michigan, Nima. He records under the record label Lonzy Blade Entertainment and is a member of Shatta movement Empire. Captan performs reality and positive lyrics in a singjay style with songs like Clean Heart and Musojuma (Lets Love Ourselves in the Hausa language)
I was introduced to him and the #CleanHeartFamily by Obodai Bionic via local area Don Trench, and we were welcomed by them with opened arms. Nima is where my father grew up..it is where Bionics father grew up and it is where our great grandmother Aawo lived and died..it was an honour beyond words to paint this there and in the company of my cousin and son.. a truly mind blowing experience. As we left to go home, an elder shook my hand and said to me ‘Remember home’..those two profound words encapsulate everything this trip has been for me and what my mission has been/is going forward.