LEGENDS ONLY: LOS ANGELES

Vakseen

No one in the world thinks like me and as an artist it’s everything. My vision is what brings every single creation to life.

–Vakseen

Vakseen is multi-disciplinary artist who has achieved great success in both the music and visual art landscapes. You could call him a Modern Arts renaissance man. His artwork has been exhibited around the world and featured in many famed publications (see his list of features below). He is also an acclaimed producer and recording artist.

For as long as he can remember, Vakseen has loved the arts in its various forms. Vakseen grew up in Jacksonville, Florida, where he spent his childhood and teenage days drawing and painting. But after an attempt of censorship from his high school AP art teacher left a sour taste in his mouth, Vakseen switched his artistic focus towards music. Not only did he love creating music, but he was great at it and quickly became a success in the industry (he’s worked with Plies, PitBull, Trina, Jagged Edge and more). Yet his passion for visual arts lingered, eventually prompting him to move across the country to Los Angeles to pursue painting and visual arts full-time.

Although these days Vakseen is mostly consumed by his visual creations, music continues to be an integral part of his life. The love for and intersection of music and visual art is apparent in his Pop Pop Collection: A series of bold pop art portraitures featuring Vakseen’s favorite pop culture icons: Prince, 2Pac, Beyonce, Jay-Z, to name a few. Vakseen celebrates these cultural icons and their legacy through an explosion of color, vibrancy and raw emotion, energy and nostalgia.

Vanity Pop denotes another signature style of Vakseen: From afar, the paintings within this series give the illusion of a classic cut-out collage; but upon closer inspection you’ll notice that each shape actually contains a photorealistic portrait that is completely hand-painted. In fact, the depth of these paintings is so deep, they may appear more realistic than an actual photo. Vakseen describes this series as a blend of cubism, photorealism, fashion design and pop surrealism.

Vakseen’s Work Have Been Exhibited In:

Ontario Museum of History & Art, Brownsville Museum of Fine Art, LA Art Show, Spectrum Miami/Art Basel, Adidas, Vans, La Luz de Jesus Gallery, Zhou B Art Center, Flinders Lane Gallery, Julien’s Auctions, Gallery 1988, Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery, The University of California Los Angeles, Bombay Sapphire Gin, The City of Los Angeles, Gallery 825, Abend Gallery, Baton Rouge Gallery, W Hotel, Soho House London, 3 Billboards in Los Angeles

Vakseen’s Artwork Has Been Published in:

LA Weekly, Buzzfeed, Complex Magazinem, Juxtapoz Magazine, Hi-Fructose Magazine, Vibe Magazine, PoetsArtists, Beautiful Bizarre Magazine, Professional Artist Magazine, High Times Magazine, Kolaj Magazine, Gay Times, BOOOOOOOM, Supersonic Art

“My music career brought me here 10 years ago, but I ended up starting my art journey, having a son, and in turn, truly began to live my purpose. L.A. has changed my life in every way possible! It’s mind-blowing to think one location has that type of power, but we all have a connection with this city. L.A. has birthed so many of the most iconic people & pop culture moments that connect us all. I wanted to create a special drop that celebrates just how much our city’s culture captivates the world. This series is a celebration of our community, but also the inherent power of pop culture, and how it connects people through shared moments of admiration, inspiration, and revelation.”
-Vakseen

“Legends Only: Los Angeles” is a new collection of eight dynamic paintings by Los Angeles-based, museum-exhibited artist, Otha “Vakseen” Davis III. Known for celebrating pop culture through his vibrant portraits, Vakseen’s newest body of work celebrates L.A.’s cultural icons, as well as the importance and worldly impact of L.A. pop culture. The collection features eight digital portraits of L.A. icons (spanning from the 80’s through the late 90’s) who truly changed the world.