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Meeting Henri Chalfant
at Westside Youth Centre 1983.
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For the past 24 years, London artist Zeus has been drawing inspiration
from urban culture to create dynamic, experimental compositions that
have re-defined graffiti art.
Captivated by the hip-hop scene of the 80s, he began expressing his
creative talents on the street when he was just 14, using walls, trains,
and open spaces as his galleries.
Since then Zeus has continually pushed the boundaries of graffiti artistry,
taking the form out of its traditional setting and into new, exciting and
more legitimate places.
His latest works represents an innovative fusion of graffiti techniques and
typography, fine art and sculpture and reflect both his background on the
streets and his formal training at Chelsea College of Art.
Born Dean Zeus Colman, his middle name naturally became his tag. It
could be seen across London throughout the 80s and, still in his teens,
Zeus earned the reputation of being a prolific writer.
His work caught the attention of many of the influential faces of hip-hop
at the time, figures like Tim Westwood who commissioned him to create
designs for one of the first hip-hop clubs, Spatz, in 1984.
Through Westwood, Zeus also had the opportunity to work with the likes
of Paul Oakenfold, making backdrops and posters for artists signed to his
Def Jam label, including Dougie Fresh and Whizz Kid. Meanwhile, Doze
of the Rock Steady Crew helped him perfect his spray paint techniques.
When house music took off in 1986/87 Zeus also received commissions
from the warehouse clubs that sprung up around the capital, such as
West World at the Brixton Academy. All these contacts served as an
effective catalyst for his career, encouraging him to think beyond the
limitations of spray paint and walls.
Zeus has always striven to rid street art of its tarnished image - acquired
through an historic association with crime and vandalism. Partly to this
end, he has worked with numerous community centres throughout
London, teaching young offenders graffiti techniques. In so doing, he has
helped to establish the art form as an effective, positive outlet for the
energies and creativity of teenagers. He was even invited to teach Prince
Charles how to spray paint as part of a Princes Trust initiative.
It was also due to common perceptions of his chosen art form that Zeus
returned to college. He was aware of the conflict that pervaded the UK
art scene - and which to an extent still does - between being recognised
as a street artist and gaining recognition as an artist per se. He secured a
place at Chelsea College of Art to study for a degree in Fine Art, majoring
in sculpture, making it harder for sceptics to question his talent and
abilities.
It was at this point that Zeus took his art into three-dimensional form,
creating graffiti sculptures out of light wooden sheets. Over the next
decade interest in this artist intensified. He was described as a 3D
graffiti pioneer by The Face magazine and his work appeared at a
variety of venues throughout the UK, including the Victoria & Albert
museum as part of its StreetStyle exhibition.
His latest solo show took place in March 2003 at Westbourne Studios in
Notting Hill. Graffiti Landscapes was an eclectic mix of paintings and
sculptures combining fine art and street art and attracted significant
attention from the art community and the international media. In
the same year, Zeus was commissioned by Jade Jagger to re-design the
windows and display cabinets for Garrards (the Crown jewellers) to
promote her Graffiti range. His latest artwork was also displayed at
Garrards for a private party hosted by Jagger for London Fashion Week.
Since then Zeus has received numerous offers to exhibit his work. In
April 2003 he joined a group of self-taught artists from around the world
to showcase some of his creations in London at the Inspired Art Fair.
Dan Macmillan also invited him to participate in his Zoltar Show last
December.
Zeus has maintained momentum as an artist through his desire to recreate
the essence of street art in original guises. At the present time he
is channelling his talents into the creation of useable sculptures, from his
renowned Fish tank to 3D graffiti furniture. He aims to make the art form
visually more understandable and in so doing communicate its beauty
and validity beyond the confines of the street. Already he has made great
headway towards this goal, opening the form up to a broader audience
and earning himself wide recognition in the process.
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Oasis painting commissioned for Carlton Network for the TV show Oasis 1991.
Zeus first large Graffiti Sculpture 1991.
Zeus Graffiti Fish Tank 2002.
Graffiti furniture for GQ Style 2006.
ZEUS BIO
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