WHAT INFLUENCED OR INSPIRED YOU TO EXPLORE ALTERNATIVE PAINTING STYLES, AND HOW DO THESE INFLUENCES MANIFEST IN YOUR ARTWORK?
BRONXE ROYALTY by SEKOU
I think that my art has a combination of influences. I’m a heavy doodler and have been for a long time. 730T is someone I followed heavy when I started painting.
I've drawn inspiration from Basquiats collage style, Bruce Glidens photography, Vxmme, Van Mennon, cartoons, etc.
COULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS WHEN WORKING ON A PIECE?
It definitely depends on what I'm working on.
With a big piece I use a mix of sensory overload and isolation. Usually blasting a mix of music and a tv show going at the same time. Some how it's the best way I can focus, and I've actually created some of my favorite works under these conditions. I also enjoy working in a party atmosphere, puts me in a comfortable expressive mood.
WHAT MESSAGES OR EMOTIONS DO YOU AIM TO CONVEY THROUGH YOUR ART?
I would say my art is a beautiful chaos.
My use of vibrant colors and cartoonish characters is a thin veil hiding topics such as individualism, peer pressure, mental health, black struggle and black triumph. With this in mind, the phrase "Live Till Death" is constantly repeated in my work. It's my mantra meaning to live your life to the fullest extent, operating with a passion and drive that will leave you with no regrets and peace at deaths doors.
CAN YOU DISCUSS ANY CHALLENGES YOU'VE FACED AND HOW HAVE YOU OVERCOME THESE OBSTACLES?
Luckily I've only faced light difficulty when it comes to acceptance, but then again I take a real "headphones in" kind of approach to people's input on what I create. I think other people's opinions can sometimes poison the integrity of an idea. I make my art because I love it and believe the message it possesses.
THE TERM "ALTERNATIVE" CAN MEAN DIFFERENT THINGS TO DIFFERENT PEOPLE. WHAT DOES "ALTERNATIVE" MEAN TO YOU?
To me alternative means evolution. It means to fuck with what you fuck with and don't down what someone else fucks with. Complete freedom of expression can cause great change. I'd be lying to the world if I tried to be anything but me.
SEKOU COPELAND
LOVERS DILEMA BY SEKOU
ALTxATL
THE OFFICIAL SOURCE FOR ALTERNATIVE CULTURE IN ATLANTA