Favela Sounds artists residency, Sol Nascente, Brasil

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The intention of the 2 week FavelaSounds residency was to share with the local artists of Brasilia and then for us to teach Graffiti and Mural techniques to young people in the community of Sol Nascente. We were welcomed to base ourselves in the awakening wisdom association run by the remarkable Dona Margarida. Dona Margarida is a primary school teacher who for the past 10 years has been running after school classes for the children in her locality, many of who’s parents cannot afford to send them to school and as a diversion to the young adults at risk of going down the wrong path. Like my mother in Ghana she made use of what she had, initially building the school from the grounds of her home.

She has achieved so much with no support from the government, for the most part operating solely on the support of the local community and occasional support of outsiders. The love and passion I felt during my time at the association is testament to what she has built and the important work she is doing. She told us despite all the difficulties she faces she understands that “she didn’t choose this mission, the mission chose her”.

Obrigado, Dona Margarida Minervina margaridamilech ,
katia.rodrigues & nickisalouise. E a todos os fantásticos alunos da associacaodespertarsabedoria .

Valeu, eliane_silvaa e sua afetuosa família ao confiar que esse gringo aleatório pintasse a parede da casa de vocês!

E um GRANDE obrigado ao time dos SONHOS
que trabalhou incansavelmente para a entrega dessa obra
LarissaMauro, Leandro LTM, yandraa & jonas

Country

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taubattice

catscoffeecreativity

creativechaosphotography

” I love the streets”
Portrait of ‘Country’. ?56 E 125th St, New York, NY 10035
Spraypaint & emulsion on wood panels

After over 3 decades of painting in the streets my first trip to the USA and in particular New York was long overdue. Thanks to AlexandreKeto for hooking this up and, Ayana Hosten at the uptowngrandcentral mural project for giving me the opportunity to contribute to the great work that they are doing in the community.

 

Yardie

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Portrait of D played by Aml Ameen to celebrate the forthcoming Idris Elba move ‘Yardie’. It was displayed at the UK premier, We Are Parable Birmingham screening and at the People’s Sound at Notting Hill Carnival.

BIG UP to We Are Parable, Studiocanal uk & my team Mel & Danny for making it happen 

Photo: jobij photography

Photo: We Are Parable

Filming / Editing: Yazzy BM 

Lyrics: Mr Williamz (Red Kattz in the movie)

Music: Zeke Stern for Greenlion crew

Hassan Hajjaj

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Virginia Rd, Shoreditch, London E2 7NG

January 2018

Photo: Daphna Stern

 

The second subject from my ‘Migration’ series is the internationally acclaimed British-Moroccan artist Hassan Hajjaj. Often referred to as the “Andy Warhol of Marrakech”, Hassan is best known for his colorful photographic portraits. His celebrated works, a vibrant fusion of tradition and pop-culture, have been exhibited at the V&A, British Museum and Somerset House.

Hassan was born in in 1961 in Larache, a harbor town in northern Morocco. His father migrated to England in the 60s, so he spent his formative years with his mother, auntie, grandma and sisters. He moved to London in 1973 aged 12 to join his father. He recalls it as being a tough time, where he was unable to speak English and was immersed in a new culture, in a time where London wasn’t as cosmopolitan as it in today.

As Hassan joined the burgeoning west London migrant community he felt very much a foreigner and many of the people he befriended were people who had had a similar journey and shared experiences of being the outsider. In this period he made allot of friends, many from the Caribbean as well as India and Pakistan, and says that they stuck together and looked after one another. He went on to run a street wear brand called R.A.P, club nights and worked as fashion stylist.

Hassan is self-taught with his work drawing from a mix of influences including London’s hip-hop and reggae scenes and his North African heritage. His interdisciplinary practice includes photography, installation, performance, fashion, filmmaking, sculpture, music, handcrafted objects and furniture. He often uses utilitarian objects from Morocco such as paint pots made into stools and cans turned into lamps. These days Hassan is based in London half the year, where he runs his shop Larache in Shoreditch, and spends the rest of his working life in Marrakech. His work is undoubtedly a result of this clash of cultures.

Larache is like an Aladdin’s cave of all things Hassan, where I am always welcomed with tea and conversations with new faces. I love that he hires local tailors and artisans to manufacture his work. If he is able to help open some doors for local artisans and the younger generation of creatives, he is happy to do so, understanding that the exchange is of mutual benefit to all.