Rapper-turned-artist Jahlil Nzinga has released a new limited-edition screen print entitled gotta wear shades. Produced by acclaimed Parisian maison, Print Them All — who in the past had worked with the likes of Picasso and Matisse (amongst others) — the artwork depicts one of the Los Angeles-based artist’s signature one-liner drawings wearing blue-tinted sunglasses.
Having first come up as Stunnaman from the Bay Area rap group, The Pack, Nzinga has reinvented himself as a prolific artist over the past five years, creating largely gestural works that are inspired by his hip hop days, as well as his interest in fashion, early skateboarding graphics, and the canons of art history. Entirely self-taught, Nzinga found his painterly voice through the unapologetic process of one-liners, where through an unconscious flow, he creates expressive faces that almost appear like hieroglyphic marks.
His latest print release is a “symbol, a reminder, of futures yet to shine,” wrote the artist in a release. “The sky, a canvas for our spirits to explore, a sanctuary of dreams, untamed and pure. In its vastness, we find the boundless allure. A testament to hope, forever to endure.”
As an edition of 60, gotta wear shades is a nine color screen print that sizes at 43 x 32 inches and comes signed and numbered by the artist. Printed on Coventry Rag 320 gsm paper, the artwork will release tomorrow, September 28 at 9am PST.
Elsewhere, actor-artist Joseph Lee unveils new solo show at DIESEL ART GALLERY.
