Undoubtedly one of the UK’s most prolific street artists, D*Face (Dean Stockton) has occupied the forefront of his practice ever since his initial breakthrough in 2005. Instantly distinguishable and flawlessly executed, his work upholds the vibrancy of Pop, whilst injecting it with a signature dose of satirical subversion that has become synonymous with British street style. With countless murals and numerous sell out shows dotted across the globe, D*Face is undisputedly one of the most international street artists working today. Such a global reputation however would not have been possible without the artist’s earliest beginnings on the streets of East London where he helped to shape the category of Street Art and where his studio remains based today. It was here that the many concrete facades of Shoreditch offered the perfect canvas upon which the artist was able to realise his creative potential and ultimately shape the area into one of the global centres of urban street art. Such a synergy of city and artist is one rarely seen to such a degree and classifies D*Face as one of the most important figures working in British street art in the twenty-first century.
On top of solo exhibitions, global mural commissions and a host of secret projects, D*Face also runs his own London gallery, ‘StolenSpace’, which hosts numerous sell out street art exhibitions on an annual basis within the heart of East London. In more recent years he has also begun a new venture into motorbike design with his ‘Rebels Alliance Motorcycle Company’, similarly based in London’s east end. With so much in the works, it’s hard to say what’s next in store for one of the UK’s most eminent street artists.
SAUS recently caught up with D*Face to discuss his recent collaboration with the Virgin Racing Formula E Team, and his future projects among other things.
Hi D*Face, thanks for participating in SAUS’s Interview Series. And, congratulations on the third installment of the ‘Save the World’ series. How does it feel to be a part of the first-ever Formula E race car that’s soon to be launched?
Thanks! It’s a really incredible thing to be a part of at such an early stage in its evolution. It’s been something I’ve followed pretty much from the outset and now really feels like a turning point, for the technology and and the popularity of Formula E – that made this project all the more exciting. Besides, what little kid didn’t want to paint the side of a race car when he was younger?
What inspired you to do this collaboration?
I’ve lived in London my entire life and in that time I’ve seen so many changes made to reduce the city’s carbon impact but in 2018 we’re still on the top twenty list for carbon emissions across the world. That’s unacceptable. A few years ago I’d have questioned the alternatives, but this year I’ve seen what electric engines can really do, and there’s no doubt in my mind that they’re the future. I actually raced against a couple of electric motorbikes at an event last summer and it wasn’t even a contest, they’re that much faster than a petrol engine – that blew me away, I had to get involved somehow. This collab offered me that chance.
The ‘Save the World’ concept strives to empower people to help make a change. With the series almost complete do you feel more compelled to be an advocate to better the environment (i.e. climate change, plastic waste)?
Definitely – I mean don’t get me wrong I’m not going full eco-warrior and I still have a soft spot for the petrol engine, but I do share the environmental concerns that encouraged the creation of Formula E. ‘Save the World’ was about making people more aware, opening eyes to how we interact with our surroundings. To me it seems like common sense that you would want to look after the place you live, if you treat it like a dump then don’t complain about it looking like one. My art has always been about making people re-evaluate things that they take for granted, the environment is no exception.
Do you think artists and influential people have a responsibility to be moral? Political? Socially engaged?
I think everyone has a responsibility to be moral, no matter what they do. If you want to use your influence or your art to engage socially or politically with your audience then you definitely have to be prepared for some amount of criticism and I think for the most part people accept that in this day and age. I don’t necessarily believe artists have any more responsibility to be politically or socially engaged, that’s their own decision to make.
What do you think of artists like Banksy who uses his popularity to raise awareness on serious issues, namely, the Palestinian cause, among other issues?
As I said, this project is about awareness – if you have the ability to draw peoples attention to a real world issue, something you know deserves to be recognised, then why not use art to do it? If people want to go ahead and say its a cash-grab and get all up in arms about it, then its them who is pulling the attention away from the serious issues.
Tell us something about you that would surprise our readers?
I’ve just moved to Peckham… South London. Look out for a sticker takeover.
What can we look forward to seeing from you next? What collaborations, shows or projects do you have planned?
There’s some exiting things on the horizon but I can’t really tell you about any of them just yet, I’ve got my eyes set on Asia right now, 2019 should be a big year.
Any words of advice for aspiring new artists?
Listen to yourself, believe in yourself, believe in what you do, don’t follow the system, follow your passion, your heart. The art world will chew you up and spit you out if you’re not careful, it’s a relentless beast, don’t compromise you’re integrity, keep true to yourself and believes then you’ll stand the test of time. This isn’t a sprint its a marathon.
That’s all for now, thank you for your time!
