Fulton Street Collective: Summer Vibes
Keep Your <3
Medium:
Oil with Gold Leaf
Dimensions:
36 x 36
Year:
2026
Artist Statement:
Andre 3000 (Outkast) represents what a hip-hop icon could look/sound like and write about – during a time that was dominated by hyper-masculinity. His brilliance came from complete artistic freedom, vulnerability and technical mastery. His lyrics painted vivid scenes with a very distinct style instrumented through complex, multisyllabic, smooth rhyme patterns. He wore what he wanted and paved the way for future artists (like myself) to experiment without limits – all while not losing credibility.
His body bears gold cracks inspired by Kintsugi, the Japanese art form rooted in wabi-sabi (the appreciation of imperfection). The scars aren’t hidden; they are highlighted in gold to show that pain, repair, and growth are integral parts of a greater whole. I imagine his documented experience with love, stardom, social anxiety and the death of his parents came with challenges that required time and healing.
The images behind him are how I visualized some of his lyrics.
Expand to see the lyrics embedded in the art
- “Spaceships don’t come equipped with rear view mirrors” – Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You) by UGK
- “Going harder than Medusa staring at me” – Green Light by John Legend
- “Oh I got you laughing like a piglet oh that’s the ticket” – Green Light by John Legend
- “We moving on up in the world like elevators” – Elevators (Me & You)
- “Happy Valentine’s Day, everyday the 14th, you got it, when Cupid knocks at your door, you can’t ignore me” – Happy Valentine’s Day
- “I wait my whole life to bite the right one then you come along and that freaks me out, so I’m frightened, ooh draculas wedding” – Dracula’s Wedding
- “Time pterodactyls overall that we I see” – Rollinem 7’s by N.E.R.D.
- “Old school players to new school fools, kast keep it jumping like kangaroos, we’ll skew it on the Barbie we ain’t tryin to lose I’ll be goddamned if they done changed the rules” – Skew it On the Bar-B (feat. Raekwon)
- “Where me and my ***** rode the Marta through the hood” – Elevators (Me & You)
- “I know you’d like to think your **** don’t stank, but lean a little bit closer, see roses really smell like boo-boo-ooh” – Roses
Hopefully something about this resonated with you in some way. Please feel free to subscribe to my email list and look out for more art and stories.