Email: sikestyle@gmail.com
Website: www.sikestyle.com
Medium: murals: combination of spray paint and indoor and outdoor latex or acrylic
Artist Statement
I am the product of clashing cultures. My father is white and my mother is black. Being bi-racial, my blended ethnicity gives me a unique perspective on society and art. The ability to be fluent in these two distinct worlds has shaped me as an artist. Spending the first 10 years of my life in Brooklyn during the 80’s sparked my interest in graffiti and hip-hop street culture, both of which are heavy influences on my art. I use a mix of digital design, collage, spray paint and stencils to create images that invoke thought on issues such as civil rights, racial and cultural identity and politics.
My love for street art and graffiti has led me to recently work as a muralist. I started with a small outdoor painting in my own neighborhood and has that has led to larger opportunities to collaborate with corporate clients and arts organizations. Public art is important to me because it allows me to give back to the community through my talents. My goal is to transform bland or vandalized surfaces into murals that uplift and inspire the neighborhood residents. Whether is through the use of Maya Angelou quote painted on bricks or abstract shapes of color sprayed on a doorway, the idea that public art can change a space and help people feel pride in their surroundings is important to me.
Bio
I am a year 2000 graduate from the Kansas City Art Institute with a major in photography and new media. I channel my artist energy in many ways. When I am not working as a designer for the Kansas Life Science Research Center at the University of Kansas Medical Center, I run my own art business under the name of Sike Style Industries. I work in 2-D design on walls and in print graphics for clients. I also create my own fine art paintings and have been known to rock a party from behind the turntables from time to time.
My love for street art and graffiti has led to recently work more with the Kansas City community as a muralist. I am to transform bland or vandalized surfaces with colorful, positive and uplifting imagery, that the near by community can be proud of.