story

My name is Olaolu. People call me Slawn. I'm an artist, technically.

I do not see a line between fine art and street culture. I feel like they go hand in hand. People will say "Street art can’t be fine art"

which might not be technically wrong.

But I think it's a weird thing to say because street art can evolve into fine art. And fine art can evolve into street art.

I want people to have a polarizing effect with my work.

I want it to be either you extremely hate it or you extremely love it.

And I think when your work is in the middle of that, that is a no risk zone for me.

So if people come in here and they're like, "Oh, this is horrible." I love that.

And if people come in here, they're like "This is amazing." I love that, too.

I always want to make mistakes so I can learn and develop my style more and more, essentially.

Nike brought me out to Portland to design this shoe, per say.

Because I told them that I wanted the shoe to be canvas.

Because I paint on canvas obviously.

They brought the sample out to me and I drew on it.

And I was like "that could be cool if we did that".

So that's how we ended up at these.

So imagine taking in one of these canvases and getting out the shoe pattern, cutting it and then making the shoe.

A visionary to me is a risk taker and someone who believes in their ideas or ideology so much that you are not pushing it on to people, you are broadcasting it to them.

And if they hate it, they hate it. If they love it, they love it. At least you did it. That's all that matters.

There's no "what ifs" in my situation. I don't do what ifs. I just do it.

Visionaries

SLAWN AT SAATCHI YATES