Bio

SLEVEN

(SOUL LANGUAGE ELEVATES VISUAL ENTROPY NEUROLOGICALLY)

Sleven is an otherworldly alchemist, helming from the never realms of Middle Earth (a.k.a The East Midlands). He's been scrawling images on any form of canvas he can get his grubby paint stained paws on, since the age he was first able to pick up a crayola and course chaos. His work is heavily influenced by a labyrinth of introverted musings too extensively long to list. He processes his musings, inspirations and influences through his bizarre but enlightened little mind to produce works of art that are drenched in the most visceral of cosmic rainbows or monochromatic melancholy and stylised with the wavy mathematical precision of a seven handed-Loki, wielding a hadron collider. Each piece is produced with the thought and intention of giving the viewer an insight into his world, a piece of his soul and a reflection on theirs and the world around them.
At recent he's mainly found dwelling in his lab, drawing and painting his way back to the primordial OM, through manifestations of meditative conscious states.

A black and white stokes croft street scene photo of Sleven the artist, wearing clothes covered in paint, with an illustrated ethereal white face, with three red eyes and a smile, with a blue sky. Graffiti dub in the corner and tag signature.

Manifesto

From an early age, art has been my way of expressing my thoughts, emotions, beliefs, visions and also connecting with with people. In turn, this has helped me with understanding myself, others, the world around me and guide me through the twisted maze of life. It has also been the one constant in my life that has always been there for me, when it's felt like I've had nothing and no one. Art has become my confidant, my guiding star, my chosen language, my voice!

I truly love and deeply believe in art and it's abilities to conduct difficult conversation, stir emotions, strike change and usher in growth. It also brings beauty, colour, humour, playfulness and joy to a world that can sometimes feel like a cold, dark and careless place to be.

So by using my voice, I aim to bring a little piece of my illuminated, weird, funny, introspective, visual manifestations into the world, on as regular a basis as possible. With the mediums I feel most drawn to, for the representation of what I'm aiming to express. And with aspirations to cause smiles upon the glum, start a needed conversation with a loved one or a stranger, give hope to a lost soul, whittle change in the stubborn, comfort the awkward, distress the comfortable, bewilder the boring, strike laughter in the serious and warm the hearts of the cold.

A person with a red hoodie and black pants, sitting on a chair in an art studio, with various art pieces hanging on the wall behind them. The person is wearing sunglasses with flowers and has red eyes, with red accent lines and some graffiti-style artwork around. The image has a black-and-white background with red highlights and graffiti elements.

EXHIBTIONS

P.R.S.C (Bristol) : Vivid - August 2024 Joint exhibition

P.R.S.C (Bristol) : Peoples Art Fair - 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024 Joint exhibition

D-Unit : Outsiders - July 2022 Joint exhibition

P.R.S.C T (Bristol) : Elemental - November 2019 Joint exhibition

P.R.S.C (Bristol) : Bearpit gallery retrospective - August 2019 Joint exhibition

Matchbox Gallery (Bristol) : Krampus Christmas clearance - December 2017 Joint exhibition

Matchbox Gallery (Bristol) : May the 4th be with you! - May 2017 Curator and joint exhibitor

Rope Walk (Bristol) : 3 is the magic number - April 2017 Joint exhibition

Matchbox Gallery (Bristol) : Dawn of the dead legends - October 2016 Curator and joint exhibitor

Temwa at The Attic (Bristol) : Art for Africa - May 2016 Joint exhibtion

Matchbox Gallery (Bristol) : A view from a matchbox - April 2016 Joint exhibition

Matchbox Gallery (Bristol) : Matchbox relaunch - October 2015 Joint exhibition

The Nest (Bath) : Relaunch of techniquecolor - March 2015 Joint exhibition

P.R.S.C : The in out gallery opening show - December 2014 Curator and joint exhibitor

The Hub (Frome) : OWtCIDER JREeMTYME - June 2014 Joint exhibition

The Tobacco Factory (Bristol) : Upfest - August 2013 Joint exhibtion