Strong expressions, strong emotions. Shakas paintings are alive, coming towards you, out of the canvas. High levels of energy and stress. Shaka’s themes are inspired by the suburban people in France, where large riots broke out several years ago. Their anger is what touched Shaka. People only see them and their anger on t.v., only in a negative way. But there is never a mention of the vast majority who just want work, peace and to live a good life. The characters in Shaka’s work want to jump out of it, to reach the French watching t.v. at home, and show them who they really are.
His technique is inspired by rennaissance artists like Caravaggio, the colors of the post-impressionist movement Fauvism, and graffitti. As a child he already made colorful work. In his teens he started making graffitti, and the spray paints limited the colors he could use. There are only 25 to 30 colors supplied in cans. He later developped more nuances in his works, still using the strong basic colors like red, orange, blue and green. But with more shades and tints, and more grey. Just as his themes are strong, the basic colors are strong aswell. They suit his themes well, and Shaka believes people are affected by them more.
Shaka creates pieces about life and about living, showing us how amazing and crazy things in life are. It’s very expressive, just as people should be expressive. Showing who they are. Express yourself with passion.
