AlecLDN, Author at AlecLDN

The Ends Festival 2019

Jun 1, 2019

Summer 2019 was Croydon’s first Ends Festival where I was the resident artist & my work was scattered around the festival and either side of the main stage. The late Nipsey Hustle was supposed to perform at the festival along with Nas, Damian Marley, Wizkid, Burna Boy etc but was killed months before the festival.

I remember when Nip first burst on the scene many years ago when my cousin Jordan bought him to my attention. A unique style & outlook on life. “While most folks look at the Crenshaw neighbourhood where he grew up and see only gangs, bullets and despair, Nipsey saw potential,” Obama said.

He saw hope. He saw a community that, even through its flaws, taught him to always keep going. His choice to set an example for young people to follow — is a legacy worthy of celebration. I hold these same values for our Croydon.

I chose to paint his attire in purple (Red & Blue) to portray the peace between LA Blood & Crip Street gangs that Nipseys tragic passing inspired after decades of fighting.

Nipsey Hussle's Impact on Los Angeles One Year After He Passed | Teen Vogue

I’m honoured to have been commissioned for this piece by the festival & this piece will be hand delivered to his family in LA by one of the festivals leaders as a gift.

Spray paint, Acrylic, posca & gold leaf on bespoke canvas.

Some images of the pieces of art commissioned & some of the people that enjoyed and shared the artworK.

AlecLDN focuses on commonalities between people, such as their shared humanity.

Jul 29, 2018

Alec acknowledges, highlights, and celebrates ethno-racial differences, recognising that each tradition has something invaluable to offer.

Although I have experienced racism in a variety of situations, my demeanour and outlook should not be marked as different or inferior due to the colour of my skin. That, however, does not mean that I do not see the struggle others go through who may not have the same background as me. Alec celebrates when different kinds of people work together, fostering the simultaneity of unity and diversity. Indeed, I embrace these differences.

I want you to know that the idea is beautiful when said with a true desire to accept others, but we cannot let it blind us to the forms of discrimination still present in our society. Perhaps we can all be mindful of institutional dynamics when we think a situation is ultimately caused by one or a few individuals. Perhaps we can be mindful when we may be denying society structures or expecting behavioural assimilation. Perhaps nothing will truly start to get better until we do these things.

This quote from Audre Lorde clarifies my points quite strongly:

“It is not our differences that divide us. It is our inability to recognise, accept, and celebrate those differences”

My art celebrates the beauty in our diversity. I believe the ideal is not assimilation but a unity in diversity and an attempt to create and maintain a level playing field for a variety of people.

Creating art for me is simply not good enough to make positive changes, I truly live my words and walk the walk by creating opportunity’s for hundreds of children that I never had when I was their age. I’m actively inspiring our future civil servants, politicians, scientists, sportspeople, writers & artists to help create a better tomorrow. Education is key as hate is taught, it is not something we are born with.

AlecLDN @ Matthews Yard: What’s Hanging?

Jul 28, 2018

SOLhI’m very excited for my debut solo exhibition, starting on 3rd August until 30th August, at Matthew’s Yard, Croydon. Food and drink will be flowing from brgandbeer and there will be music from CroydonFM.

Below are details of the main pieces that will be hanging during my month’s residency at Matthews Yard.

Peace II ‎‫سلام‬ II – £695
Second piece on this subject, Mixed Media collage, recycled paper, acrylic, spray paint, ink and gold leaf on framed canvas.‬

Gold Leaf Hand Finished A3 Prints available at £19 each

A1 Size £39

A0 Size £55

Mino – £895
Mixed media collage on wood. Gold leaf, Acrylic, spray paint, oil paint, ink, paper and posca.

Gold Leaf Hand Finished A3 Prints available at £19 each

A1 Size £39

A0 Size £55

‘You Can’t Sit With Us’ Series

‘You can’t sit with us’ is taken from the film Mean Girls where I have replaced the spoilt, narcissistic teenage characters such as Regina George from the film with some of the leaders of the world which have all changed since the original piece. I have also included those suffering from these leaders’ decisions and policies.

10% of all sales of the series will be donated to the re-build charity, which helps integrate refugees of conflict and natural disasters into British society and supports the reconstruction of their homelands.

You can’t sit with us II – £595 – 10% of sale going to re-build
Mix media collage of a child refugee on Financial Times paper also with recycled paper, spray paint, acrylic, water colour, ink, posca, pencil & signed in gold leaf.

You can’t sit with us III – £695 – 10% of sale going to re-build
The Trump Administration seeks to prevent refugees who pass through Mexico from receiving asylum in the United States. “No One Leaves Home Unless Home Is The Mouth Of A Shark”

Mix media collage of a Mexican refugee on Financial Times paper, Dollar bills, recycled paper, spray paint, ink, posca, pencil & signed in gold leaf.

You can’t sit with us IV – £595 – 10% of sale going to re-build
Mix media collage of a child refugee on Financial Times paper also with recycled paper, spray paint, acrylic, water colour, ink, posca, pencil & signed in gold leaf.

You can’t sit with us V – £650 – 10% of sale going to re-build
Painting of a child refugee, signed in gold leaf on bespoke framed canvas

‘American Dream’ Series

The ‘American Dream’ pieces are an ongoing series on the theme of US corporate greed, cultural insensitivity and centuries of ethnic cleansing.

American Dream V – SOLD
Collage made entirely of American currency and packaging even the skin is made from Recycled McDonald’s bags.

American Dream VI – SOLD
Collage made entirely of American currency and packaging even the skin is made from Recycled McDonald’s bags.

American Dream VII – SOLD
Collage made entirely of American currency and packaging even the skin is made from Recycled McDonald’s bags.

‘Just because we don’t say doesn’t mean we don’t see’ – Gifted to Windrush Charty
Mix Media collage on bespoke framed canvas.

‘Anti-Social Media’ Series

Facebook says “Spending time with friends and family creates many of our most meaningful memories”

Friends will celebrate by posting a picture or message and then completely ignore that person in the street. People will fabricate a false lifestyle to show the world how well they are doing or how happy they are but in truth this is just as mask for struggle, the fear of mediocrity or sadness.

This is a further step on the road to us all interacting with each other through a device actually controlled by multinational corporations while we go on believing that it is we that are in control.

Instagram and Facebook have caused endless amounts of pain and heartache through telling us how we should look, causing an explosion of vanity that forces people to care more about likes and follows than self worth, substance & love.

Facebook is used as a tool for bullying, grooming, spamming, spying, stalking, lying and so on. It kills relationships it creates doubt and social media in general causes the collapses of family’s and relationships which I have sadly witnessed several times to people close to me.

Anti-Social Media – SOLD
Spray paint, Gold leaf, Acrylic, ink, pencil, metal, recycled paper on surf board.

‘Choke’ – SOLD
Mix Media collage on canvas, recycled paper, Acrylic Paint, ink, spray paint, magic marker, posca and gold leaf.

‘Amanaki’ – SOLD
Mixed media collage on bespoke canvas. Spray paint, 24K gold leaf, acrylic, posca and ink.

‘Santan Dave’ – £495
Spray paint, silver leaf & gold leaf on bespoke canvas made from a reused wooden palette.

‘Love CR0’ – SOLD
One of three photo collage collaboration pieces I’ve made with the photographer Ross Andrews.

One of the most exciting pieces of street art in Croydon

Jul 27, 2018

Proud to be featured again by The Croydon Advertiser, this time for my ‘Peace’ mural as one of the 11 of the most exciting pieces of Croydon street art. Based on an original collage entitled ‘Peace ‎‫سلام‬ ‘ the mural sitting outside Matthews Yard is the first piece of street art in Croydon that is gilded in 24 karat gold leaf. A second mixed media collage (£595) and a limited run of 30 hand finished prints in gold leaf (£15 each) will be available to purchase at my next show at Matthew’s Yard.

ISIS or whatever they call themselves, are they a true representation of Islam? Are the Christian Extremists a true representation of Christianity? Or the Buddhist monks that literally committing genocide towards the Rohingyas right now in Burma a true representation of Buddhism? Is every Irishman in the IRA? No! There is not supposed to be terrorist tag attached to ONE particular religion. Everyone that commits an act of terror for a political or religious reason should be called a terrorist. The irresponsible media has resulted with Islamophobia behaviour trending and rising all around the world and it is alarming because people are fuelled by misguided emotion lead by unfair media coverage. I mean everyone’s allowed there point of view, growing up & living in Croydon all my life with all the different cultures here I still find it astounding that certain people are still ignorant enough to have the viewpoint they do, which is why I started Colourblind.

The American Dream Series

Jun 20, 2018

The ‘American Dream’ pieces are an ongoing series on the theme of US corporate greed, cultural insensitivity and centuries of ethnic cleansing. Some of these pieces will be on display and available to buy at my debut show at Matthews Yard, from 3rd August 2018.

The story of the Native American is well understood and the complicity of US government and capitalism is at the root of this story of genocide. From the early years of land theft and forcible resettlement to the ethnic wars of massacre and institutional racism to the current attacks on sacred land and continued apartheid.

The results of centuries of mistreatment has marginalised The Native American in their own lands without a Mandela figure to bring them into the light.

I have synthesised these wrongs using the symbol of nationhood, the head-dress which has been appropriated and defiled by capitalism and turned into advertising hoardings – whores to advertising the final ignominy for the native American people.

All the pieces are made up from American currency and packaging, even the skins are made from McDonalds bags.