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SNS LDNers feat. Cam Portland

Carrying on our new editorial series "LDNers", we went down to South London to link up with abstract expressionist artist Cam Portland to check out some of his work from his exhibition at the start of the year labelled "The San People of London". We also sat down and spoke to him about his influences growing up and what we can expect from him in the future. Read the interview below and check out some artwork that Cam created exclusively for SNS.

Give us a quick intro on who you are and what you do?

My name is Cam Portland, I am an artist, illustrator and I run my own clothing line.

How did you get into art? And how has your art developed since you started?

My dad was a cartoonist, who created one of the first weekly comic book strips in Barbados in the early 80s: My two older siblings also studied art in GCSE, so growing up art and drawings were very present in my household. During primary school one of my longest friends Kieran and I used to spend most playtimes drawing Dragon Ball Z & superheroes, and on weekends my dad would take me to different art galleries. I guess just having a lot of people around me who were into art I was being subconsciously exposed to it.

Although art was the first GCSE option I chose, I didn't really enjoy art during secondary school due to the way the curriculum was being taught. I felt like it focused more on annotating artwork as opposed to encouraging students to explore their interest as young artists and the use of different mediums. In sixth form, my art style was realism and I used to do it because I knew I could get A/B’s easily, but I never felt passionate about what I was creating.

It wasn’t until I moved from sixth form to college when it all changed for me. The teachers were actually full-time artists, who were coming in a few days a week to teach. They used to really encourage me to get out of my comfort zone and explore other mediums and techniques.

It sounds like they all played quite an inspirational role in your development when growing up. So who (or what) would you say are your biggest inspirations and influences in more recent times?

In terms of artists, my biggest inspirations in terms of stylised figures and caricatures would be George Condo, Faith Ringgold, Keith Haring and Jean Michel Basquiat. For my colour palette the likes of Wilfred Limonious, Sean Scully, and Corky McCoy.

However, many of the characteristics of my caricatures are influenced by a small tribe called the ‘San People’ which has been said to be the “purest form of black people’. Tribe members share very strong features, including big lips and protruding cheekbones. These features are deliberately used within my pieces to highlight and celebrate those facial features.

I watched a documentary about them and the next day I started drawing people at a bus stop that was opposite my brother’s flat that I was staying at – I was drawing them in this style (with exaggerated cheekbones & bigger lips) and that’s been my style for the last 4-5 years

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__You held an exhibition at the start of the year, tell us a bit about that and the message you wanted to portray? __

The exhibition was titled ‘The San People of London’. This was named because my latest body of work was a representation of circumstances most black men and women experience growing up in London.

During the build-up to the exhibition's opening night, I was very nervous and exhausted. I had been planning it from October last year, trying to balance between commissions, work, and then planning for the night. I had my first solo exhibition around 16 months prior which went really well but I wanted to build on from that and create a more polished and smoother night. I also felt that my work within that time had come on a long way and I really wanted to make sure that the night went represented the level I felt I had become as an artist.

Your canvases are amazing. I like the way there’s different layers to them, with some almost coming off the canvas. How did you manage to do this? Did you use different materials/techniques to achieve that?

I would prime the canvas first, then start applying paint. Once dried I then put another layer adding depth to my piece. I sometimes use materials such as table salt, detergent and even mud to create texture and then cover this more with paint. I may do this a number of times to build up my layers and textures. The finished piece has different depths of layers similar to layers of erosion. I found that when using these types of materials it made the process child-like and nostalgic.

You said you wanted to represent some of the circumstances most black men and women experience growing up in London, I can see that you have around 28 smaller prints all displayed together. Are they all different scenarios from those experiences?

Yes, they are! However, these are a bit more light-hearted than the other pieces in the exhibition. Like the piece titled “We nuh ave that”. You know when you go to the Caribbean takeaway and they don’t have what you ask for from the menu. The people serving you, look at you with a disinterested face as if you’re bothering them.

“Cuss” is one of my favourites because it represents my whole secondary school life. That reaction is meant to be is when someone has just got cussed and they are on the ropes about what their response is. Their mouth is open, and their eyes are tweaking. If you can’t think of a good response in a certain amount of time, then you just have to hold the L.

__And what would you say is your favourite piece of work that you’ve done? __

That is a pretty difficult question because my pieces give me an emotion which reminds me of good times with family; jokes with friends or more serious and political matters, such as, race and discrimination. Aesthetically my favourite illustration would be my ‘Scottie Pippen’ but politically ‘Ask Carlos’ has more of an empowerment feeling. It was inspired by the 1968 Olympics where John Carlos and Tommie Smith, both raised their fist in the air similar to the black panthers and wore no shoes on the podium to represent African-American poverty. It's very similar to what we saw in June and July with the BLM protest around the world. Crazy to think within 52 years the stance would still be relevant and be as powerful as ever. As well as that, I wanted to add some light-heartedness behind the title ‘Ask Carlos’ so it pays homage to the Ghetts and Bashy clash...if you know, you know!

__What are you currently working on? And what can we expect to see coming from you in the future? __

I'm currently working on my new collection of illustrations which are based on situations I experienced during the ages 13-17 and will include some of the previously mentioned pieces such as “Cuss”, “We nuh have that” and “What ends you from”. New merchandise will be available soon on www.camportland.store. A lot of pieces were created during Lockdown. The majority of these was a direct response to the Black Lives Matter movement and protests, such as the piece titled “Been tired”, because this has always been a thing for me. As a young person I was always conscious of my skin colour. Every time I went into a room, somehow I would get reminded that I was Black. Even being an Artist, I don’t want to be labelled in the POC group because when you talk about Picasso and some of the greatest artists, you just take them for what they are – you don’t say he’s an amazing white artist, you just say he’s an amazing artist. I just want to be like that, obviously I’m black and I’m super proud, you can see it in my work. However, if my art is highly regarded then that should be a statement in itself. Someone’s race or sexuality should not come into the evaluation of the Art. I created a series of illustrations and Animations for SNS. It was a response to this interview and how I've been feeling throughout the year. The rainbow colourway used for the SNS logo is a nod to the wide colour range of sneakers at SNS. The gold rings worn by the ‘twins’ are because gold has always been considered as a safe form of investment. Even though gold prices dropped this week. People still buy gold jewellery to flaunt it as a sign of their wealth. In terms of the future, I would say I'm an optimistic person that truly believes that the sky’s the limit. I see so many black men and women in this day and age that are doing amazing things which inspire me and achieving things that themselves might have not thought was possible 10 -15 years ago. I sometimes envision my work being showcased on skyscrapers and featured in the Olympic Opening Ceremony.