KEEGAN

Multidisciplinary artist, based in London.

Self-taught, he discovered graffiti, digital, and print mediums organically through early experiments in visual art.

Themes include mankind's relationship with technology, the psychology of interpersonal relationships, and an ongoing exploration of contemporary cultural phenomena.

His aesthetic is strongly influenced by manga and comics from the '90s and 2000s, along with the graffiti scenes of London and New York at that time.

More recently, surrealism, expressionism, realism, pop art, and superflat have shaped the work.

Origin

Early Life & Influences

KEEGAN moved to London with his mother and sister shortly after birth, first living in the East and then in the North of the city.

Growing up, he played computer games, hacked any system he could get his hands on, and overclocked GPUs 'til they smoked.

Fueled by the energy of the early Internet, hunting for manga in became a teenage obsession.

He began his lifelong creative journey by carefully copying the work of comic heroes like Todd McFarlane and Yoshiyuki Sadamoto. Using a cheap scanner and an early version of Photoshop, he created his first digital work.

Graffiti Gonzo 

Drawn in by the classic styles of contemporary London writers and legendary old-school New Yorkers alike, KEEGAN dove headfirst into the graffiti culture, a passion that took over his life in mid-2000s.

"Panik ATG and Futura2000 made me pick up the spray can"

Now entrenched in the street culture, he launched The London Vandal in 2009. An underground online journal where he shared his experiences in the graff scene. Through forging connections with the city's graff stars, he produced a zine that resonated with a community of obsessives.

After seven years of immersion, he stepped away from gonzo journalism. Street and Internet culture were becoming mainstream, making his gonzo journalism redundant.

"I took a deep breath... turned off the server. Making sure that only those who were there would remember"

Devastatingly, during the Great Hard Drive Crash of 2016, most of his offline backup was lost for good, further reflecting the ephemeral nature of graffiti.

"Comics and graff gave me an intro to a family of talented artists, from all sorts of backgrounds - and I vowed to one day join their ranks"

Circa 2010.

Current Practice

Addicted to subculture, KEEGAN continues to soak up the fresh and unexpected.

His strength lies in an innate desire to continue developing practical skills, experimenting with different mediums including photography, videography, motion graphics, animation, 3D and music production.

That said, he still slaps stickers and paint walls with the crew.

The Mission Continues

KEEGAN's raison d'etre is to absorb a broad range of genres and art forms, through a continual cycle of deep dives, whilst retaining the influences of the cultures and genres that first inspired him.

He has begun to study the art of storytelling through sequential images, which will allow him to deliver stronger narratives in his work.

His current priority is evolution, as an individual and an artist, through studies into psychology.

"Learning about childhood, trauma, disorders, relationships, addiction, therapy and healing saved my life - and people are waking up to the fact that an understanding is essential to a safe and healthy life"

Investigations into art history fuel a growing understanding of Nihilism, Stoicism and Existentialism, which will also manifest as hot takes in future works.

Chat

KEEGAN connects at exhibitions, pop-ups, and on Instagram.
He interviews peers about their creative journey on YouTube.

"Reach me at keegan@bykeegan.com"