Graf has always been my go to when connecting & calming the vibes in various youth settings over the years. I remember rolling in to youth club as a youth worker (no smart phones, more BlackBerry’s then), just real physical engagement settings – table tennis, pool table, tuck shop, pat ball & me perched on a table graffin’ up names of all the yoots & them colouring in – some of the best times with the simplest of tools > pens & paper. These times led to great convos & broke down whatever barriers with the youth / parents at the time, and something I continue to access when needed to this day. It’s that feeling of being at total peace amidst whatever chaos is around you, mark making / graf connects you to you, super meditative & probably the reason I get into full Being flow when I share it with others. 

As part of #MentalHealthAwarenessWeek, I’ll be doing a ‘Graf & Chat’ session with the guys at Unity Junction Sutton   for 13-17yr olds.

Friday 15th May

4 – 5.30pm

Unity Junction, St Nicholas Centre, Sutton 

Book your space > HERE

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One thing Ai will never mess with is the feeling of seeing an original artwork in the flesh, live & direct, beyond a phone screen. I made the trip to Louisiana, the museum of modern art in Denmark to see the latest exhibition of Basquiat’s ‘Head’ drawings / paintings on paper, most of which he’d kept for himself & had never been shown to the public. After visiting ‘Boom for Real’, the exhibition at the Barbican here in London back in 2017, I remember being blown away by the artwork & staying for the longest time feeling out each artwork instantly connecting to the visual language. I’ve since seen more of his work in the flesh at MOMA in New York, and each piece seems to bang each time, so any excuse to see an original is a special feeling of which you can’t quite explain but it moves you differently, and in this current landscape of virtual BS, any time you have a chance to connect with something in ‘real’ life these days > make the most of it, plus I’ve actually never been to Denmark so was well worth the trip. 

After visiting galleries & museums most of my adult life, you become pretty desensitised to the generic formats of how these spaces are curated & shaped for viewing ‘art’. The main difference with the Louisiana site was the beautiful architecture of the space, with surrounding nature & scenic views with a large cafe / restaurant area which was rammed with people – a total cultural centre vibe, which made the whole viewing experience a treat & actually stayed there for a lump of time mooching about & soaking up the rays of sun we were blessed with on the day. It was more the pleasant walk up to the venue from the station, in the middle of nowhere-ish, cute little town vibes, that made the whole experience that much more I think. 

Sometimes I wonder how much the environment shapes or directs our opinions or feelings about art, this covert pressure to accept this must be great because it’s in this great place etc, but then great work will grab you regardless of how great the space is & how much we’re open to it or not – but when your open to it, and it hit’s you, like seeing the Basquiat heads as they are in all their expressive glory, up close & personal, you might just feel that brushstroke slap your face, that oil stick writing across your waist, this raw energy, an undeniable taste…of life, and all the messiness of it…

*Make the trip & make it (oil) stick!

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Jas Sehmbi x Porsche 911 Turbo (1980, from Japan)

Jas Sehmbi x Alfa Romeo GT Junior

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Hope everyone had a blessed Vaisakhi

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I was invited to lecture and run a placard making workshop for students at London Metropolitan University, in response to the current political climate, using my previous experience of activating community projects & campaigns through art based mediums as a way to inspire the students. Now, I don’t do politics (If 1+1=5 to you, good luck, do you *that Keanu Reeves meme here*) but there’s a lot going on in the world & all you can do is start where you’re at – making awesome placards expressing how you feel helps!

Big thankyou to Patricia (Senior Lecturer in Media and Communications | Course Leader for BA Media & Marketing) for organising the session & being super accommodating, as well as Clelia (Senior Lecturer in Postcolonial Media and Culture I Course Leader BA Film and Television Studies) for her on-going support with my work, and of course to the students who took part – was FUN

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