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Before he was known in the art world, Slawn set a challenge to his Instagram fans. If they wanted one of his customised T-shirts, in demand among his Gen-Z fan base, they should go to the Saatchi Yates gallery in Mayfair and ask for “an original Slawn” work. If his followers showed him a video of themselves doing this, he’d give them a shirt for free. The Saatchi Yates gallerists had never heard of Slawn before. But after this stunt, they would remember his name.
Two years later, Slawn has just completed his paintings for his first major solo exhibition, which is taking place at . . . Saatchi Yates. It’s as if he manifested the whole thing. Sitting in his north London studio, surrounded by canvases, Slawn looks like he has just rolled out of bed, in a green camo T-shirt and pyjama trousers, his grey beanie pulled low on his head, clutching a vape. He’s discussing the after-party for his exhibition’s opening night with a gallery employee. She says they need a list of names for the guest list soon, “to keep the randoms out”.
“You can’t do that,” Slawn, 23, replies. “You won’t be able to keep people out. I know this, because I always used to find my way into places where they didn’t want me. They say you’re not going to be able to, but I always found my way inside.”
Over the past couple of years, Slawn has set his sights on finding his way inside London’s art scene. His graffiti-style work has been sold at Sotheby’s and he was asked last year to design the trophy for the Brit music awards, putting him in the company of artists such as Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and Anish Kapoor. Then there is the trendy café he runs near Brick Lane with his girlfriend, where he can often be found hanging out with his two sons, Beau and Baby.
Slawn’s studio is buzzing today. One woman sketches jewellery designs at a table, dreaming up future Slawn bling that he thinks might interest rappers. Another is painting a portrait by the wall, part of the community of friends Slawn invites to use his space. A flow of people come in and out chatting, joking, painting and rolling joints. Slawn’s phone vibrates constantly — his mum calls from Nigeria, then his two-year-old son appears on FaceTime to say hello. In the middle of the room, a 15-year-old boy Slawn met while skateboarding is doing pull-ups from a beam under the ceiling. He can only manage one at the moment, but Slawn encourages him: “Yeah, two now. Go ahead, three. That’s how you build strength, bro.”
He says the kid reminds him of his hyperactive younger self. Born in Lagos as Olaolu Akeredolu-Ale, Slawn’s artistic imagination was nourished by a spell working for the country’s first skateboard company, Wafflesncream. When he was 18, he and some friends started the skatewear brand Motherlan, which attracted the interest of designer Virgil Abloh. Moving to London in 2018 to study graphic design at Middlesex University, Slawn began painting during the pandemic. This is when he arrived at his signature style, a free-flowing series of playful doodles, like Keith Haring by way of streetwear brand Obey.
Despite the myriad influences, his work, which generally uses acrylic and spray paint on canvas, regularly features the same ominous face. When asked who this is, Slawn says he wonders if it might be himself, and whether that makes him a narcissist. His style sometimes plays with caricatures resembling racist imagery, which he frames vaguely as social commentary but which has attracted criticism online.
Slawn doesn’t claim to be a technically gifted painter. “I’m not conventionally the best artist, I’m not trained,” he says. “I barely know how to draw a face.” What he is undeniably good at is grabbing attention online and keeping it. He first gained popularity on Instagram (where he now has 312,000 followers) with a series of stunts where he gave out his artworks, culminating in a run of fight clubs where fans came to his studio and boxed each other for the chance to win an original piece. It is clearly his large social media following as well as his artistic reputation which has led to brand collabs with companies such as Rolex, Louis Vuitton and Rimowa.
What does he think attracts people to his art? “A lot of times it’s your personality or the idea of yourself that you’re selling. That’s what makes it valuable. I might have spent less than an hour doing the painting, but you’re taking my whole life as well . . . You’re buying not just a physical work but a story, as well — a little part of me.”
Slawn’s next project is an installation at the 1-54 contemporary African art fair in Somerset House, London, for which he will customise two red double-decker buses with spray paint — though at the time of our interview, he hasn’t decided exactly what he’s going to do yet. “You know what, actually — ” he sits up, clicking his fingers, suddenly excited. “I should get a Tube train. How can I get one?” He starts googling Tube trains for sale and finds one for £8,000. “Yo, you can buy them! This is insane!” What would he do with a Tube train? “I could make a sculpture with it, or just paint it.” Is he actually going to buy one? He doesn’t pause: “I think so. I’ll just need to find somewhere to put it.”
October 10-13, 1-54.com
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