All You Need To Know About David Alabo

As a creative person, I could conclude what an excellent, creative, appealing and a strange piece of fine art looks like given any opportunity getting close to it. Artists are exceptionally savvy, imaginative, profound, and always have something in their mind to put it out as an artwork, and David Alabo is no exemption.

The Ghanaian artist’s work is an embroidery of symbols, which he uses to explore themes of death, disengagement and the future. He has done this over the years, and has drawn in large number of fans from one side of the world to the other. Alabo’s artworks are simply amazing, and they accompany mediums including oil paint, sketch and film.

Interestingly, his works are made in an augmented experience space. The artist, who is at present based in Accra, uses 3D chiseling programming, VR headsets, and a set-up of computerized altering devices to make his striking pictures.

Alabo’s works of art are generally fixated on Empowerment, and he ensures they emerge as Black identities without idealism. Indeed, Alabo has flourished in a neglected spot, looking at the unbelievable artworks coming from him. His creative style are joined with a sci-fi aesthetic, with a touch of history and fantasy appended to them.

And that is something remarkable with regards to Alabo’s pieces, which he has named ‘Afrofuturist’. Throughout the years, he has made huge loads of works of art, of which they fall more in the surrealist category. Positioning himself where the work can be dreamlike, Alabo’s works are futuristic.

He is centered around African folklore, rather than Greek and Roman folklore. However, as a Ghanaian, he grew up listening to stories that are really surreal or abstract, therefore they actually fill in as a motivation for his work.

David Alabo has been recognized in numerous big platforms. His art is seen “reinterpreting African culture or heritage through new media,” pushing the boundaries of traditional art to create immersive experiences.

To that end he has his works seen on large platforms internationally, including his “Divine Opulence” being used by HBO (owned by CNN’s parent organization WarnerMedia) in its virtual reality event for fans of the TV show “Lovecraft Country.” This is a horror TV show. Also, Marvel’s 2018 film Black Panther caused to notice the genre, making a whirlwind of interest in work like Alabo’s.

Alabo expressed:

“I don’t want to do a disservice by not trying to incorporate that into the art, but there are (other) artists that can do that,” he explained. “I’m imagining futures or imagining realities where we’re thriving.”

One of his works, “Justice,” was made following the homicide of George Floyd and ensuing fights in 2020. The imagery of the work of art – a dark jaguar, a raised clench hand, a blade, a tear drop and a rose – exemplified the anguish of the Black people group all over the world, while still marching forward in the fight against systemic racism.

Also, “High Priestess”, designed for a range of tarot-inspired t-shirts, explores mysticism and spirituality. It was created in 2020 to offer solidarity with the Black Lives Matter protests.

Having worked with several international brands, such as Amsterdam-based streetwear label Daily Paper, Alabo is hoping to collaborate with more Ghanaian creators. For his most recent project, he created a series of limited edition skateboard decks as part of a crowdfunding campaign for the Freedom Skate Park in Accra, which opened in December 2021.

In November 2021, Alabo fulfilled one of his long-time ambitions with a solo exhibition at Nigeria’s international art fair, ART X Lagos.

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Alabo was born in Rome to a Ghanaian dad and a Moroccan mother, and spent his youth years in Italy, India, and Russia. His dad filled in as a diplomat, and so he feels like it’s a reflection of himself navigating these strange places or these places where he wouldn’t necessarily even see another Black person.

Alabo’s goal for 2022 is to make a studio space for “counterculture” artist in Accra, where he has resided for the past four years. As indicated by him, the scene in Accra, is especially determined by traditional portrait art, which is cool. His vision is to have a space where artists can try different things with various devices, mediums and styles, so virtual reality artists like himself would have a physical community to work in.