Saturday 16th June: Lakwena at Seven Sisters

Lakwena's new installation in Seven Sisters "TOGETHER WE STAND", referencing the seven trees that the place has been named after.  Commissioned by @tottenhamnow_arts who you can see with Lakwena is these shots when I visited half way thru to capture the work in progress.  The colourful focal point at the junction is now finished and ready to provide a colourful seat for residents to rest their legs and congregate to socialise.  A new addition to the pockets of bright artworks revitalising our city.

Thursday 27th July: Lakwena's "The Future's Gold" at KKOutlet, Part 2

I missed the private view for Lakwena's show but have now visited and its truly AMAZING.  She has painted every piece of wall on the premises and covered the floor in gold to match the foil in the prints.  You can take a piece of the exhibition home with you in the form of patches and pins with the same messages and anecdotes as the canvases.  I couldn't resist a rainbow one for my coat of many colourful patches which bares the irresistable sentiment "The Best Is Yet To Come"!  Indeed it is, Lakwena just gets better and better............ I can't wait to see what she has lined up next!

Follow her on Instagram here. 

See the 1st post from the show here.

Thursday 13th July: Lakwena's "The Future's Gold" at KKOutlet

Thanks to Magda Kagwa for these photos from Lakwena's preview at KKOutlet for her new show "The Future's Gold". I CANNOT wait to get there myself to see the joyous work that connects the floor to the walls and the list of works displayed.

It's full circle with my book that is stocked in their shop and features the gallery, whilst the cover is shot infront of Lakwena's mural at FRAME around the corner!  Totally cosmic!!

Tuesday 6th June (06!): After 6pm

Q:  What would you recommend doing at around 6pm in London?

A:  Find a Happy Hour in a nice bar to sit down with a copy of Time Out to scan the event listings.  It's an excellent immediate resource of reliable recommendations to make a good start!  Look for a gallery or museum late-night opening / store opening / restaurant launch / gig / clubnight.  It's possible on any night of the week to find somewhere to go for free culture, drinks and even food if you're lucky enough.  You just have to do a little research!

Q:  What did you get up to before the shoot?

 

A:  I ran the Hackney Half Marathon and then went to the pub for a roast dinner to watch the Tottenham Vs. Arsenal London Derby football match - a classic contradictory London Sunday! 

Q:   What are your plans for the evening? And with whom are you planning to spend time with?

A:  Its the end of the bank holiday so I have to stay in and do last minute homework!   But a typical example of a night out was last Thursday when Eglo Records did an instore gig at Carhartt, then onto a launch for Converse / NIKE Flyknit with a performance by Yungen before finishing off at a film screening and club night curated by NTS Radio for KENZO.  3 separate venues, 3 separate neighbourhoods, 6 brands, 1 night!

Photography & interview by Shin Hye Lee

Thursday 9th June: Lakwena for Clinique

From Rosy Nicholas's work with Estée Lauder in yesterday's post to another of my favourite artists, Lakwena and her collaboration with Clinique.  Her dreamy graphic style and multi-colour palette have been combined for a cosmic cosmetics bag and purse.  The pouch has been part of a gift-bag promotion concealing a combination of new products such as Smart Night Custom-Repair Moisturizer and Beyond Perfecting Foundation + Concealer with Clinique classics like the beloved Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion.  I'm chuffed to bits with this lot for my holidays and FOREVER as a keepsake of Lakwena's work for the archives.  LOVE IT!

(Here it is with my new Lazy Oaf cloud beach towel)

Find out more on the Lakwena X Clinque collaboration here.

Tuesday 10th May: Lakwena on Carnaby Street

News in my regular Lakwena updates .......... the latest wall from my favourite graphic artist has cropped up on Carnaby Street, right behind Liberty.  Here it is fresh the day after she had made the finishing touches before the district's GQ style night with GQ.

Weds 13th April: Lakwena's "Up In The Air" at Box Park

Lakwena's latest large-scale sign-writing venture stretches down the gallery walls of BoxPark and her very own pop-up space within the complex of containers.  She is in residence for the month of April so you can meet the artist when you visit to see her silver lined shop.   Break thru the tinsel banner entrance to discover her new world and pick up memento merch with her hand-tinted gradient incense burner.  

Follow Lakwena's live-painting projects and colourful eye over on her instagram here. 

BOXPARK, 2-10 Bethnal Green Rd, London, E1 6GY

Friday 4th March: "She Lights Up The Night" at Protein Gallery for Refuge

Lakwena's latest artwork is a light-box spelling out "She Lights up the Night" which has given the name to the group show.  10 other contemporary graphic artists have created a one-off unique art piece to be auctioned at Christies for Refuge.  The timing of the show to raise funds for this charity dealing with domestic violence falls on the week of "International Womens Day".  Curator Aine Donovan has brought together the graphic styles of Supermundane, Camille Walala, Anthony Burrill, Ana Montiel, Charlie Patterson, David Shillinglaw, Hattie Stewart, Jordy Van Den Nieuwendijk and Morag Myerscough.  Extra funds are being pooled with sales of a limited edition screen-print from each artist in conjunction with the theme.  All of these materials and production costs have been donated meaning that 89p of every £1 raised is going direct to Refuge.

The exhibition will be open to the public Friday 4^th– Sunday 6th March at Protein Gallery in Shoreditch,  See more information here.

(Top to bottom: Supermundane, Camille Walala, Charlie Oscar Patterson, Lakwena, Jordy Van Den Nieuwendijk, David Shillinglaw, Ana Montiel, Me & Camille by Eloise Dorr & Sabine Zetteler)

Tuesday 15th Sept: Lakwena installing at "Africa Utopia" Southbank Centre

Always following the trail of Lakwena's graphic art, I headed down to the Southbank Centre a day before the opening of Africa Utopia to see her setting up.  Since her 3D relief pieces as part of the "Africa Calling" showcase last year, this time she was commissioned by the actual event to fill the space.  The site specific installations were puzzle-pieced together in both paper panels and shapes that were cut out of vinyl like giant sticker sheets.  

"Looking back to the flurry of African nations gaining thier independence from the 1950s to the 1970s, these installations echo an optimism reflected in the aesthetic of the moment - the motifs and symbols used in the flags of new nations, the Modernist architecture of new buildings, the stars and icons adorning album covers.  Several decades on, these installations act as a reminder and encourages us to hold on to those original hopes and dreams" 

If like me, you're a fan of Lakwena's mural movement, see her talk at a free event next week at Rich Mix - see more details here.