Skepta can now add painter and curator to his list of achievements. The British-Nigerian rapper has curated a special collection of artwork of Sotheby’s upcoming “Contemporary Curated” sale in London.
When it was announced earlier this year that Skepta had no more unreleased music, fans were understandably upset. The artist made it clear that his musical focus was changing to producing after the release of his ”All In” project in July and that any lyrics we do hear aren’t new.
Skepta has made it very clear over the years that the culture is about more than only the music. There are several aspects to this, and throughout his career, he has gone above and beyond to make it clear. The next stage of his journey involves his entering the world of the arts by using a new medium.
Due to their inability to go on tour during the global lockdowns, many musicians saw their music suffer. This led Skepta to experiment with painting, about which he said to Sotheby’s: “For me, it’s about that beautiful thing of being able to look at a picture and feeling an emotion. If I look at an art piece and feel something, I fall in love with it.”
Skepta has teamed up with Sotheby’s to co-curate the Contemporary Curated auction, in which he is also a contributing artist with his artwork “Mama Goes to Market,” bringing full circle his interest in the visual arts.
The Contemporary Curated exhibition, which will be held at Sotheby’s London from September 8–13, will mark the next stage in Skepta’s ever evolving artistic career.