When I Left The Royal College, I

I'm Aware That Success Can Overwhelm You. The Perception Of You Can Be Elevated To Such A Status That It's Not You Any More.

Often I Think Changes Within My Work Have Been Seen As Sudden Changes Or Sharp Changes, But For Me They're Not That Sudden. They Have Been There In The Studio, But Not So Much In Public.

When I Left The Royal College, I Decided I Would Only Make Paintings That I Would Want To Look At Myself, That Felt Close To My Life.

I Was Listening To A Lot Of Hip Hop, Music Like Public Enemy That Was About Raising Consciousness, And I Realised I Could Feed That Directly Into My Work, Using Images In A Way That Was A Bit Like Sampling - Taking Images From Diverse Places, Exploring The Contradictions Without Trying To Hide The Seams.

There's A Magic That Comes From Playing Entirely To Who You Are. I've Got My Specialist Subject - In The Mastermind Sense - And I Wouldn't Change It, Or Who I Am.