21karat

21karat is where self-taught artist Ameba combines her love of graffiti, the female form, and clothing design, creating sustainable and inclusive clothing for all. A Poetry graduate too, Ameba has expanded on the term ‘writer’, moving away from literature and towards the use of letter forms to portray pseudonyms and themes in variable ways. Breaking into the male-dominated subculture of graffiti, she has established herself over the past decade and now runs 21karat London as one-woman operation. Supporting a variety of social justice causes, she works to empower women, young people, and underrepresented groups through creativity and workshops.

Ameba’s creative process with art is very similar to her creative process with poetry. Copious amounts of phrases, words, colour schemes, character sketches, and patterns spread across phone notes and sketchbooks, which she uses as prompts for herself or ideas she wants to explore. She tells us; “The characters in my artwork represent different facets of myself, from a cleopatra-esque goddess in paradise to a hooded silhouette in a dark city alleyway, I’ve found a way to explore my traumas and experiences in a form other than poetry and in a way which, when drawn or illustrated, is open to even further interpretation.”

Ameba’s designs take inspiration from the Madhubani art movement, which originated in 7 th Century BCE India. The Madhubani movement was the first feminist art movement in history and provided women with little to no education with the opportunity to generate their own income, using dyes made of natural materials to depict scenes of flora and femininity. Looking at more modern art, Chila Kumari Burman, Karimah Hassan, Jenny Holzer and Lady Pink have also been huge inspirations to Ameba. The influence of Mark Bode’s eroticised feminine graffiti characters and Japanese comic art are also evident in her creative thinking. Ameba comments further; “Jack Kerouac’s sketches and Italo Calvino’s scattered words have helped me bridge the gap between artwork and literature within my own practice. I love how malleable these forms of art and literature can be.”

Spraypaint, paint pens, markers, and vinyl are Ameba’s materials of choice when creating, alongside her collection of Giclee prints and clothing. All of the apparel she makes and sells is unisex and sized up to 3xl, meaning everyone and anyone can wear a piece of 21karat. More recently, Ameba has also been exploring the possibilities of jewellery production and will be launching a capsule collection soon. Working with local suppliers worldwide, means that 21karat can deliver globally whilst remaining sustainable and supporting local economies and small businesses. Ameba only uses FSC certified paper from sustainable forests and everything is made upon order, meaning there’s no waste or surplus.

“I’d love to explore creating pigments or inks from natural materials and use these in my work,” says Ameba. She continues; “Shared knowledge is important and I think the shared knowledge to make art and creativity more accessible can’t be ignored. Empowering people with the tools and knowledge to create their own materials allows more access to the creative practice and gives people the confidence to pursue their creativity without the worry of being able to afford art materials.” This is why Ameba loves graffiti; You can use any implement on any medium and be inventive about it, from sandpaper to etch windows, homemade high-staining inks and cheap tins of car paint, just as vital to the art form as high-quality Montana tins and posca pens.

Ameba hopes to one day have a physical store and studio or workshop for 21karat where she can also provide people from underrepresented backgrounds with the space and opportunity to explore their creativity. She comments; “The impact of art on wellbeing is huge and has been recently researched on in a more scientific level. 11% of jobs in the creative economy are now filled by Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic workers and though this is the highest it’s ever been, empowerment is key to keep the momentum. Giving people the space to explore their creative ability and explore their experiences is lifechanging both mentally and spiritually.” Ameba is also planning on working on more large scale pieces and further exploring textiles, experimenting and blurring the line between textile, literature, and graffiti, and potentially collaborating with an established brand or fashion house to bring this together.

She concludes; “Really, I want to show girls that they can do anything regardless of where you come from, who you are, and how many people you have to fall back on. I established 21karat with less than £300 in my bank account and between hours of working 2 sometimes 3 other jobs. ‘Don’t stop grinding til you hit diamonds’ is something I tell myself all the time.”

www.21karat.co.uk
@21karat_london

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