Silver Fox Brotha

From the series of 50 portraits of observations of the diversity of the African and Caribbean man. Drawn from memory and photographs.

In the London of my youth, I was drawn to the bright lights of the West End and the clubs that wet dotted around in the cluster of streets around SoHo. The night people of the street and clubs, had character, swag and were an enigma.

These characters were outsiders and like me drawn to the allure of the clubs and music. These people for me embodied freedom, and were like creatures from a far off planet. They looked so different to the mundane people I would see in the community in which I lived in East London. SoHo and the surrounding area was a playground and a haven for lost souls. Outside of the inner world of the club or bar, SoHo would attract a myriad of people from working girls, pimps, rent boys, hustlers, dealers, thugs, queens, and those who operated on the fringes of society. Within the walls of clubs like the Lift, the variety of men and women of all shapes, shapes and sizes would sweat and jump to the sound of House Music.

The portraits are a nod to some of the many characters seen on the dance floor, or navigating the streets of SoHo after dark. This London has gone and embodies a time economically and culturally that is historic; yet as a 14 year old boy shaped how I developed.