Art With Me Festival - Tulum, Mexico

WoW! Tulum… What place. What a festival.

I had the honour of being a guest artists for the festival Art With Me in Tulum, Mexico. Their brand mission is to help bring ecological awareness and sustainability to Tulum and the whole planet. We were joined by local and International artists, musicians and environmental leaders, for 5 nights and 4 days of thought provoking art, fascinating workshops, holistic wellness, culinary experiences and music focused on how to preserve Tulum.

Art With Me *GNP is a community driven festival that combines art, music, talks and workshops, wellness and cultural experiences to inspire change and personal growth.

This festival features over 300 different events and activities taking place all over Tulum with art installations and unique workshops at partner hotels, sunset sessions, concerts and late night events at select locations on the beach, in town and in the jungle. 

The beach Pavilion, which was where I was based featured so many activities like drumming circles, cacao ceremonies, breath workshops & talks on the environment. I felt lucky to not only be invited to this festival but to be positioned at the heart of this festival. Every day I did Live Art and enjoyed listening to my assistant, Andrei help inspire possibilities of sustainable living to anyone who stopped to look at what I was up to. I also enjoyed receiving many compliments for my art while I worked away. What a beautiful rush!

Art With Me mission is to inspire and activate the community to help preserve Tulum while having fun at the same time. Their Care With Me program works year-round to support projects that help solve Tulum’s solid waste management problem and promote a sustainable future.

Mexico News Daily

Hoarding in Peckham

The day has come to see the fruits of my labour in it’s full glory. The whopping 6 meter long Rainbow Warrior artwork went up at Blenheim Grove, thanks to the guys Unboxed Homes.

“The hoarding had already become well known as a place for street artists to create amazing bits of art. Most developers would have painted over it or put pictures of smug smiling couples drinking glasses of wine but we are doing things differently and wanted to celebrate the creativity of what had been done. So, we invited five brilliant local street artists to express what home means to them – as that connects with our mission as a custom build developer to create homes that are a blank canvas that can be designed and fitted out by the people who live in them.”

Says Gus Zogolovitch CEO of Unboxed Homes.

My brief was to create a piece which focused on the Home and what it meant to me… This is what I said:

Home is important to us because it makes us feel safe and protected. We like our homes to be clean and comfortable so that we can navigate our lives more easily. This is also true for our planet. Our planet Earth is our home. If asked, people would say they wanted to live in a home that has a clean, unlimited supply of fresh water, cupboards filled with good healthy food and where they felt safe to live. Unfortunately, not everyone realises that this is becoming increasingly challenging for our Earth home. These basic rights are being taken away from us without our permission or knowledge. Plastic and toxic chemicals are seeping into our food chain while our waters and air are being quietly polluted through over farming with all sorts of poisons in the name of food production. Our HOME planet is not being cared for or maintained as we would our own homes and is fast becoming unsafe. It’s time to take responsibility for this and start making different decisions so that we really look after what is most important and sacred to us: our HOME planet.

Solution:

Bring your own bag for life when shopping. Say no to plastic bags. Say no to single-use plastic. Doing your part will help create a positive impact and the planet will thank you for helping create a cleaner and healthy HOME. For more informations on how to help visited: www.sould-art.com Helping Art Lovers Save the World #puttingheartintoart Unboxed Home blog about the project

Home is where the heART is

On the 28th April, at Blenheim Grove, Peckham Unboxed Homes will debut “Home is where the heART is”, a project brought to life by a group Street Artists, including myself.

The theme of this project was ‘Home’ and each of us were ask how we feel about this subject.

Our homes make us feel safe and protected. We like our homes to be clean and comfortable so that we can navigate our lives more easily. This is also true for our planet. Our planet Earth is our home. But it is is not being cared for or maintained and is fast becoming unsafe. It’s time to take responsibility for this and start making different decisions so that we really look after what is most important and sacred to us: our HOME planet.

This I have expressed in my latest Rainbow Warrior piece, togethers with plastic bags in shapes of birds flying around her head. It is my biggest piece so far, 2.5 x 6meters wide.

I will be exhibiting alongside works from Tizer, Luap, aprovocateur and Matt Collier

By mid May, there is promise of a crazy party to celebrate this work and the building of these eco friendly homes. I will let you know when this will be and hopefully will see you there.

Bigger Picture - Soul'D Limited Edition Print Release

Artitue - Art event with attitude.

My first solo show combined the release of the Rainbow Warrior 1 Limited Edition prints, showing off some of the hand finished acrylic pieces and bringing the conscious community together. All this happened on the 11th December 2018 at Peckham Levels with people travelling all over London to get there.

On sale were Original and Collectors Limited-edition prints. All signed and with an authentication (carbon foot) ‘toe’ stamp on the back.

Paul Twiney from GreenPeace treated us to a slide presentation, talking about what they are doing, tips of what we can do, what's happening at Government policy level and how can we speed things along. His message was to write to your MP’s and corporation heads to tell them change is needed to save our world, something we can all do.

The biggest highlight was of course when I, Soul’D took centre stage and spoke a little about my art and passion for saving our world from plastic pollution.

Afterwards the winners were then announced from the Bigger Picture Jigsaw art trail competition. Each were asked to join us on stage where their statements were read aloud, sharing what they were doing to help the environment. The winners was so pleased with their limited-edition print prize.

Once all the formalities were over, I enjoyed chatting to everyone - It was nice to hear them excited about the project, enjoying the work and wanting to hear more about the process and future plans. Overall, it was a great evening speaking to like-minded people and enjoying a night of artistic fun with purpose.

For more information visit www.SoulD-art.com 
Instagram @SoulD-art  #peckhambiggerpicture #peckhamrainbowwarriors

Revealing the Bigger Picture

After the competition trail came to an end we pasted up the full reveals to replacing the small tiles.   

The large reveal located at BuildBase, Peckham can be seen from quite a distance. It looks very impressive and is definitely eye-catching. Passers-by congratulated me on 'Bringing some colour to the street' and once they understood the important message behind the artwork, loved it even more.

Another large 12 foot reveal at the entrance to Peckham Level. Currently there is an exhibition of Soul'D Rainbow Warriors work on display at the Peckham Levels, on Level 6. 

We want to thank BuildBase and Peckham Levels for their generosity and support on this project. You made this important project that much easier to achieve, and we are truly grateful.

Bigger Picture Press Explosion

The volume of media coverage is a testament to both the Bigger Picture event and the Rainbow Warrior 1 artwork. Publications such as Time Out, Weekender and Southeast15 recommended it as 'the thing to do'. I, SoulD also had the pleasure of being interviewed for the Dulwich Onview for the second time. Below is the list of publication along with links to the event.*

Publication list:
timeout.com
carpe-diem
southeast15.com
weekender.co.uk
eventbrite.co.uk
evensi.uk
artrabbit.com

Interview:
dulwichonview.org

But even this volume couldn’t match the excitement which surrounded the project. Many locals were aware of the project and enjoyed seeing the artwork placed around. And, as for people visiting Peckham for the 1st time, they expressed their enjoyment at getting to know the area while on this adventure. The Bigger Picture Jigsaw Art Trail was a great success.

*Note: Publication links may only be active for a time period after the event.

Piece together Soul'D climate change puzzle

Bigger Picture - Jigsaw Art Trail

To help with the launch the Rainbow Warrior 1 print, an interactive event was born called ‘Bigger Picture’.

This artwork was dividing it into 6 huge jigsaw pieces and pasted in different locations around Peckham, London. The idea was to following the trail, find all the pieces, photograph and upload them to reveal the bigger picture and enter the competition to win a print. This installation was to bring awareness to environmental issues - specifically zero waste and explain what we can all do to help.

Fishing Village turned open gallery

Tam Thanh was just another quaint Vietnamese fishing village little less than a year ago, but now it has been transformed into an open space art gallery which celebrates the local culture, people and nature. 

This makeover was a joint initiative by the Korean Community Art Exchange Program and the Vietnamese People’s Committee of Quang Nam Province to bring art to the people. The project took over two weeks to complete, in the summer of 2016 by five Korean artists, seven Vietnamese artists, and a group of local volunteers to complete over 100 murals.

Each house had its own story with unique themes and colour palettes, from beautiful Vietnamese girl to funny character from Frozen popping out of an alleyway. We even got to meet a tailor and his family who were the subject of a portrait wall art in his own home. Every time we looked into an alleyway, we came across other colourful murals trailing down the houses toward the beach. It truly was a wonderful experience.

Spray amongst the ruins

In the misty hills of Kampot, Cambodia stood some beautiful yet abandoned French Colonial buildings. It was the perfect setting to spread some art love. Yes, the Love Bomb was to grace these abandon walls.

I walked through the derelict corridors in search of the ideal spot. Around a corner the space came clear -
I sprayed my piece and, as I finished a heavy mist set-in making the place look even more magical… A crazy thought of putting on a long dress and run bare foot through the ruins came to mind.

And that is what I did!

I enjoyed floating in the misty clouds in my chiffon dress. I dance around to my hearts content - celebrating the joy of my new art piece… Love was definitely in the air.

Spreading the love in Peru

I am in Peru at the moment... In San Blas, Cusco to be exact. This hippest part of Cusco it seems. Everything I want and need is here. Shawn, the owner of Antigua Cusco Hotel and where I had been staying, helped me set up my art studio behind his hotel. And any old materials lying around he said I could use. Result!

So, I'm working on a piece for Qura, a cool cafe in the area. I stumbled across it on the search for good coffee and an acai bowl. The place looked good inside with some nice art on the wall, but there was one blank white wall waiting to be filled. I sent my website to the owner offering to create a piece for the space and he texted me that night saying he loved my work and yes let's do this!

And so here I am... In my makeshift studio under the sun enjoying life! The piece I'm creating is based on the classic 3 flying hand grenades (ducks). Yes , I am love bombing the place... Spreading the love far and wide <3

Working with the Angels

After Burning Man and once I had resurfaced from the epic Yosemite National Park, I drove down to City of Angels. Los Angeles was awash with street art. It filled the streets like an open-air gallery for everyone to enjoy. Gratitude was the buzz word here and I felt it. I met many wonderful people here, all open and willing to exhibit my work. I'm excited at what the next few months will bring.

Burning Sun

My art trip to California started with a crazy bang at Burning Man. So much fun, so much art and so much inspiration. Around us, the sculptures and art cars seem to follow a conscious theme of planetary awareness and kindness - a knock on effect from the constant political and enviromental struggle. It comfortably aligned with my current art series 'The Rainbow Warriors'.

IN PECKHAM: Soul'D Exhibition at Nutkin →

If heart and soul are the vehicles for my art, Peckham is the fuel; at least for my current and most recent pieces. I wanted to celebrate how proud I feel to coinhabit this concrete chrysalis for creativity with humans from such diverse backgrounds. The hairdressers, fruit stall owners, workers at the independent coffee shops and bars – I salute you! The In PECKHAM series is gratitude on paper in honour of what you, and many others, bring to this vibrant place that we share.

These pieces are the result of a new exploration into typography, photography and screen printing. They shout out, ‘WE ARE HERE!’ ‘WE ARE IN PECKHAM!’

At the night of the opening, we enjoyed vegan food created by the talented Nutkin Cafe and drank sparkles.
The work will be on display till the end of May.

Soul’D feeling the SE vibe - Interview for Dulwich Overview →

Today my interview for the Dulwich Onview was published. It talks about the Peckham series, my design process and my latest work project: The Rainbow Warriors. It feels so good to see this online. You can read it here at: dulwichonview.org.uk/2017/01/16/artist-sould-feeling-the-se-vibe/

Virtually Xmas - Open Exhibition

This was a wonderful fundraising night based in East London, Studio 4. There were over 20 artist, including myself exhibiting and selling work to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital and Shelter. I sold my 'Swing Girl' to a very happy lady, called 'Jen' who said it would sit perfectly in her kitchen, as her tiles were the same colour. All together we raised over a £1200, and with mulled wine in hand and nibbles, it was a successful and enjoyable night out.

Love your area?

You can now celebrate where you live (without having to move to Peckham...)

Yes! The Centre of the Universe t-shirts and prints have now expanded to all the corners of the world. Live in Brixton, Kensal Green, Clapton… That's great. Let's celebrate by having your own print or/& T-shirt, custom-made to 'your area'

Both Unisex t-shirts and women vest tops are available 

Giglee prints in all 3 colour are available. Please do contact me for details.

Peckham Festival

First ever Peckham Festival collaborating artist & retailers are getting together to create something special. Happening all over Peckham with the heart of the event in Copeland Park, behind the Bussey Building.

In love with Peckham. Who isn’t... We all feel it. 

These series of typographical and photographic screen prints shouts out: We are HERE. We are IN PECKHAM. Uniting everyone of all cultures and backgrounds; from the hairdressers lining the high street, the fruit stalls nestled under the arches to the independent coffee shops and bars that are springing up all over SE5 and 15. We love everything about Peckham.

Prints:
You are Here. Peckham
A4 (4 different colour ways)

In Peckham
A4 (4 different colour ways)

Centre of the universe Peckham
A3 (3 different colour ways)

I will be doing graffiti stencil spraying at various times over the festival, where you can personalise your own piece art... Bring a magazine, old jacket or even lamp shade and have it stylised to the Peckham theme.

Email: Buywilson.art@gmail.com
Shop: souldart.bigcartel.com

Thursday Evening: 
Soft launch -I will be based in Copeland Park in the record studios

Friday Evening: 
Private viewing

Saturday & Sunday Daytime: 
Back at the recording studio

Shaken and Sprayed

Portrait posters and canvas were created for the host, in a James Bond style.

Bazaart Exhibition

Housed in a massive, 5000 square feet venue in the heart of Bethnal Green, London, BAZAART exhibited a grand collection of new, original artworks, prints and installation from urban, street artists.

I had the pleasure to be part of this, exhibiting my work alongside artists such as, Pure Evil, Eelus, Rugman, BonBon, Dave the Chimp, Rourke Van Dal, The Krah, Fark FK, Fake, Hutch (BAZAART Expo).

Trio go large

Commission for a canvas displaying a stencil of three daughters.
The size was 3 metres wide.