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‘GONE?’ by Slawn next on CIRCA halting billboards worldwide including Africa

SLAWN, Photo: Leroy Boateng © CIRCA

Heralding their entrance into the African content, CIRCA presents GONE?, a site-specific study on the theme of hope by Nigerian-born, London-based artist Slawn.

Launching Wednesday 6 December, and set to halt billboard screens worldwide at 20:23 local time until New Year’s Eve, the collaboration debuts on screens in Accra, Nairobi, Abidjan, and Lagos — the birth town of Slawn – whilst maintaining CIRCA’s presence in London’s Piccadilly Circus, Milan, Seoul, Tokyo, Berlin, and Los Angeles.

Lagos The Maslow Alpha and Jam, Gone? by Slawn © CIRCA

Slawn kicks off the ‘CIRCA SCREEN-GRAB’ series by translating the immateriality of a digital commission into physical works. Transcending the realms of street art and abstract expressionism to explore questions of politics, race, and identity, the 23-year-old cult icon, street artist, and skateboarder favoured by Virgil Abloh and Skepta has gained acclaim for playing with the concept of reality through his large-scale canvases blending cartoonish-like pop figures and bold, colourful forms. Uniting four continents, Slawnwill end the year on a high, becoming the most-viewed CIRCA artist since launching in October 2020.

London Piccadilly Lights, Rendering Gone? by Slawn, © CIRCA

Throughout November, the artist locked himself inside an empty shop in Piccadilly Circus, London, and was filmed face-on by CIRCA spray-painting directly onto bespoke cut perspex sheets, scaled to fit eleven of their global screen locations. Referencing Picasso at his home in Vallauris, painting on glass (1950) with a camera rolling on the other side, or The Pharcyde in their Drop music video (1995), an inward/outward illusion is achieved between the artist and viewer. Gradually removing himself from the picture, with a different painting created for each city, Slawn indirectly asks the world: ‘Has all hope GONE?’

Culminating a year that started in January with His Holiness the Dalai Lama responding to the CIRCA 20:23 manifesto ‘Hope: The Art of Reading What Is Not Yet Written’, Slawn emerges on the global stage as a beacon of togetherness. The final paintings will be revealed during an exhibition in Spring 2024.

#CIRCAECONOMY PRINT Launching 6th-31st December, a time-limited edition of six hand-signed screen prints by Slawn is each available on CIRCA.ART for £120+VAT. Available here

DECEMBER 2023 PROGRAMME

Slawn (6 – 31 December, 2023)

20:23 GMT  London, Piccadilly Lights

20:23 GMT  Abidjan, Alpha & Jam Madison, PontHkb bridge

20:23 GMT  Accra, Alpha & Jam Madison, Oxford Circle roundabout

20:23 WAT  Lagos, Alpha & Jam Maslow, Airport Outdoor

20:23 WAT  Lagos, Alpha & Jam Series8, Airport Indoor

20:23 EAT  Nairobi, Alpha & Jam Mufasa, Mbagathi footbridge

20:23 CET  Berlin, Limes, Kurfürstendamm

20:23 PST  Los Angeles, StandardVision

20:23 CET  Milan, Cadorna Square

20:23 KST  Seoul, COEX K-Pop Square

20:23 JST  Tokyo, Neo Shibuya TV, Shibuya

About the artist

The work of London-based Nigerian artist Slawn (b.2000 in Lagos, Nigeria) pendulates between street art and abstract expressionism while exploring pertinent issues of politics, race, and identity. At 23 years old, Slawn stands as a cult icon, celebrated not just for his art but also as a street artist and skateboarder, esteemed by figures like Virgil Abloh and Skepta. His acclaim arises from an artistic signature that manipulates reality on large-scale canvases, intertwining cartoonish-like pop figures, bold, colourful forms, and stylish shapes defined with vivid hues that beckon the viewer. At first, seemingly playful and a descendant of street art, it is upon closer inspection that we see the intense human element that Slawn endows to each work, where he explores human psychology, politics, race, and other complex topics and issues still challenging society.

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