VISI caught up with South African multimedia street artist Keya Tama (aka Jack Fox), who now lives in LA and who recently did a run of collectors’ T-shirts with MR P, to find out more about all the projects he has on the go.

How did the name Jack Fox come about and which name do you go by?

Foxes were my favourite animal when I was younger, so I did graffiti under the name “Fox” to begin with. Later I added ‘”Jack” because to me it represents a strong, manly archetypal character, common in folktales, and it fitted my work’s aesthetic. Now I go by Keya Tama, my given name.

You’re a multidisciplinary artist, producing music, filming, animating, illustrating, painting… What’s your first love? 

My first love is illustration. As a kid I drew constantly and this has allowed me to retain my imagination and ideas from that time. Everything else I do creatively feels like an extension of the same feeling I get when drawing. Slowly I am bringing all my different mediums together.

You’ve been participating in the art world since you were 13. How did you develop your style?

Initially my style was influenced by cartoons, graffiti and skate culture, as well as the many great artists who I was surrounded by at a young age. But mostly I was just so in love with drawing, that slowly my work has transitioned from stick figures into what it is today.

You have creative parents. How much did that influence your work? 

My father, Tyler B Murphy, is a tattoo artist. He has shaped the way I appreciate and engage with art as a whole. Because of him I have a love for storytelling and youth culture, as well as having a sense of respect and loyalty for artists coming up with me – all of which influence my work.

My mother is an artist, too, and works under the name Faith XLVII. She has inspired me massively to be creative and to continuously push myself harder. To this day I have never met anyone who works harder and is more passionate than her.

As I was growing up, I travelled to street art festivals around the world, which is how I was introduced to, and slowly became involved in, creating street art.

What are you working on at the moment?

Currently I’m putting together a graphic novel and an animation pilot, designing a small clothing line, and creating some works for an upcoming exhibition in January 2019 at Cartoon Network in California.

How do the murals come about and do you have any planned?

I’m often commissioned to paint murals, but sometimes I will reach out and organise walls myself. I plan to paint one or two around Cape Town while I am in South Africa, as well as work on a few collaborations with friends of mine in Joburg.

What, or who, inspires you? 

I am inspired by some ancient art. It can be highly emotive and simplistic, and offers a lot in a very raw and rich way. I have an appreciation for art that boils down the essence of someone or something to its truest form, as it forces the artist to really expose their expression unapologetically using minimal lines.

Contrasting ideas inspires me as well. I love when art engages me in a way that feels like it could only have been created now. This not only gives me energy and a desire to make more art, but also drives me to create something as refreshing and visually cutting. Some friends of mine whom I find inspiring are Elléna Lourens, African Ginger, the Meekel sisters, Johnny Allison, Richard Horne, Florian Snyman and, most recently, an artist from LA named Sik Kid.

Tell us about the collab with MR P. 

A while ago, I designed a poster for a MR P competition and won. As part of this, I designed an international campaign with the brand. I travelled around South Africa and then to Australia to paint artworks inside various MR P stores; the stores I didn’t paint personally had vinyl artworks of mine installed. More recently I designed a T-shirt with them, along with many other great South African artists, including a new favourite of mine, Karabo Poppy.

Is there anyone you would love to work with? 

I would love to work with Cleon Peterson, Jean de Wet, Shepard Fairey, James Kerry Marshall, Donald Glover, Mura Masa, Gucci and Wes Anderson.

If you weren’t an artist, what would you be?

Probably a journalist. I feel like storytelling is at the heart of my desire to be an artist.

Career highlight? 

I’d have to pick two so far: painting a piece of the Berlin Wall and painting at Cartoon Network Studios.

What is the last piece of design/art you purchased?

The last artwork I bought was a piece by Richard Horne. He’s a close friend of mine, and I was really happy to get the chance to buy my favourite work of his.

Are you on Instagram? Who should we all be following?

Yes, @keyatama. You should follow some of my artist friends, @ellenalourens, @johhny1allison, @adult_fiction, @meek.meekier.meekest, @african_ginger and @richardhorne_.

Five year plan?

I plan to continue doing street art around Los Angeles, as well as globally. I am focusing on painting larger canvasses and moving more toward colour in both my private and public works. I aim to start bringing all the different mediums together, creating a consolidated narrative that runs through my work.

Stay up to date with Keya on Instagram and his site, and check out more of VISI’s Artists We Love.

The post Artists We Love: Keya Tama appeared first on Visi.

MRP has collaborated with eight South African artists on a brand-new T-shirt range.

Featuring original illustrations by artists Keith Vlahakis, Karabo Poppy, Michael Dos Ramos, Skye Steen, Slaying Goliath, Thabiso Monare, That Damn Vandal and Jack Fox, the range follows on from last year’s tee collab with six local artists.

Wondering what inspired each of the designs you see on the new collection of tees? Here’s what the artists had to say:

Cape Town-based freelance illustrator, letterer, pop artist and street artist Keith Vlahakis: “This is a tee that combines my love for the spray can and my love for fine typography. It has the spray can cap and an abstract piece of typography inspired by my signature lettering style.”

Award-winning Johannesburg-based illustrator, street artist and graphic designer Karabo Poppy: “I love the aesthetic of Hawaiian and Cuban shirts… I wanted to create a South Africa version of this… The illustration has the same feeling of summer and vibrant colours but echoes nature and summer in South Africa with the leopard and the words ‘Chiskop’.”

Durban-based senior graphic designer and illustrator Michael Dos Ramos: “It went through a couple of stages before the final artwork but you can see the dark romantic feel coming through, which is also influenced by tattoo works and vintage horror movies.”

Durban-based graphic designer and illustrator Skye Steen: “This concept for the men’s tee I designed is based on the Latin phrase ‘Ductus Exemplo’, meaning ‘lead by example’… I wanted to take a decorative route, yet still keep an overall playful and masculine feel, making use of sharp angles, bold lines and rough textures.”

Johannesburg-based graphic designer and illustrator Slaying Goliath: “I’m trying to debunk the notion that selfies are an act of narcissism and self-righteousness. So, I’ve presented the selfie as an act of self-love and self-belief, rather than vanity. The design style is referenced from my ‘Davetionary’ project where I fuse pictures with words.”

Pretoria-based self-taught illustrator, designer and photographer Thabiso Monare: My design was done digitally using a unique style and technique to give it a different flavour and feel from normal tees; it’s inspired by a lot of Afro-centric movement.”

Durban-based illustrator, graphic artist and graffiti artist That Damn Vandal: The tee I designed was my typical vector street-inspired portrait. I used a pastel palette to emphasise my paradise feel. It portrays a clustered forgotten city with graffiti covered walls and a trendy tattooed guy.”

South African, Los-Angeles-based multimedia artist Jack Fox (aka Keya Tama): “The design was inspired by an article written by Evelin Chao… she speaks about why it’s important to find identity and not to conform to identities others project onto you.”

The range is currently available in store and online. Tees retail at R99.99 each. For more information, visit mrp.com.

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