7 questions on upcoming art exhibition 'Memento Vivere' and the work of SLART

Conversations with Artist SLART: Embracing the Art of Living.

Could you describe the moment or series of events that inspired you to create "Memento Vivere"? How does this exhibition connect with your personal experiences and artistic journey?

I’ve been exploring the theme of memento mori for the past 7 (or so) years since stumbling across it in my reading endeavours through the work of Philosophers Marcus Aurelius and Michel de Montaigne. Since then, 3 close family members have died, my mother, father and brother as well as two aunties. I became ill with kidney failure in 2021 and had a lot of time to think about my mortality. I don’t see this as a morbid thing by the way, it’s more a reminder to stop messing about, especially worrying about the trivial things we all worry about.

Connecting the artwork with my personal experiences, I have combined 12 pieces from previous collections that are part of the ‘Memento Vivere’ exhibition. Leaving space for 12 more that will be created during the year before the exhibition.

You’ve chosen a mix of Art Brut/Naive styles for your pieces. How do these artistic styles help you convey the messages you aim to express in your works?

Well, I didn’t choose these styles, they chose me (corny, I know!). It’s the style I have developed (naturally) from years of drawing as a child and my return to art in 2019, 20 years after stopping. It’s a blend of a childlike style through the lens of an adult’s wisdom.

How does the unique ambience of The Crypt Gallery enhance the narrative or emotional impact of your exhibition?

As soon as I found out about the Crypt gallery from my curator, I just had to look into having an exhibition there. It took a couple of years to get the headspace for it, but now the exhibition is going ahead in September 2025!

The venue is perfect for exploring our mortality, it’s in a real-life crypt! Need I say more? The fact that lighting can be dimmed to our preference and the ambience of the crypt will set the scene perfectly for the art I am exhibiting there.

What kind of reactions or interactions are you hoping to evoke from your audience with the contemplative and labyrinthine setup of your exhibition?

I hope the exhibition is well received, but I’m aware that even if every single person loved the exhibition it wouldn’t bring me the same satisfaction that I get from actually creating the art. So my focus will be on this and also on making sure that the exhibition is set up in the best way possible. Then it’ll be received as it’s received, I know that I would have done my very best.

You’ve mentioned Jean Dubuffet, David Shrigley, and Keith Haring as influences. Could you elaborate on how each of these artists has influenced your work and artistic philosophy?

I mention this briefly in my artist statement but I will say a bit more about it here.

So, Shrigley came first, I found so much comfort in his style. He’s just a normal English bloke who draws the way he wants to and has developed a cult following from it (as well as art world praise). In my early days, I’d watch loads of his videos and it would inspire me to keep going. I remember him saying something along the lines of, “At school, I was one of the best drawers in my class, but in art school, I was one of the worst”. He’s also said that he can draw slightly better than his art style. From this, I found great comfort in sticking to my style and not trying and make my work look realistic, as per the perceptions of the masses that the more realistic the art, the better the art is (Well, in my mind anyway). His work also reminds me to inject humour into my work, which shows up now and again in my pieces, I am also a big fan of puns and wordplay.

I found out about Keith Haring soon after from a friend and fell in love with his free spirit and love for creating art for everyone. His murals inspired me to start looking into creating my mural art at a later date. I found myself creating an art piece when absorbed in a documentary about Haring called ‘Street Art Boy’ back in 2020. He also got me into the music from Devo and B-52s in a big way!

Shortly after, in 2021, I found out that Jean Dubuffet was a big inspiration, not only for Haring but for Basquiat too. I searched for any UK Exhibitions of his and he was exhibiting at The Barbican in London that year!

I went along with a couple of friends and the exhibition shifted something within me. Knowing that Jean Dubuffet started taking his art career seriously at 41, made me feel relieved that it’s not too late to develop an art career and be a successful artist in my own right. He also taught me to stick to my style, to experiment a lot and that a formal art career isn’t a prerequisite to becoming a successful artist.

Looking beyond "Memento Vivere," how do you see your art evolving? Are there new themes or mediums you are eager to explore?

I would love to explore sculpture, the imposing reality of sculpture is experienced differently to paintings. As soon as I got my art studio in 2021, I bought myself some concrete as I envisioned making a small statue but instead, I slapped concrete mix on a canvas board and painted over it. I would love to have at least one public sculpture permanently displayed in my lifetime.

Lastly, what advice would you give to artists who draw heavily from personal experiences, in terms of maintaining emotional balance and integrity in their work?

I don’t think you need emotional balance, just to express in whatever way that works for you. Don’t try and make your art fit into a box to please anyone, just lose yourself in its creation.

---