Artist Spotlight: Halim Flowers
Image courtesy of Halim A. Flowers.
In 1997, Halim A. Flowers was arrested at the age of 16 and sentenced to two life sentences in the District of Columbia. Deemed a “SUPERPREDATOR,” he turned to artistic expression as a way to find a sense of peace in prison. Halim was released after serving 22 years in 2019. His experiences were filmed in the Emmy award-winning documentary Thug Life In DC. In 2005, he started his own publishing company SATO Communications, through which he has published eleven books.
Halim uses photography, painting, poetry, and spoken word to further what he refers to as his ‘love revolution.’ “My mission is to love everyone unconditionally all of the time. My purpose is to live the love that I want to see in the world to inspire others to love radically beyond the superficial barriers that serve to separate us from seeing how we are all connected to each other.”
The recipient of the Halcyon Arts Lab and Echoing Green fellowship awards, Halim is represented by DTR Modern Galleries. His work has been exhibited at the MoMA PS1 and the National Arts Club in NYC. In 2022, he started his own releasing exclusive limited collections of streetwear designs.
Image courtesy of Halim A. Flowers.
Can you tell us a little about yourself? How did you get your start as an artist?
I started out as a freestyle rap artist at the age of 11. Through listening to hip hop music, in particular JAY-Z, I became interested in the visual arts. Hearing him rap about Jean-Michel Basquiat, and reading an article on Basquiat in the Wall Street Journal is what influenced me to consider painting.
It was not until the quarantine in March 2020 at the age of 39 that I began my career as a visual artist. Up until then, I was a poet and spoken word artist. I had never sketched or drawn or painted before.
Image courtesy of Halim A. Flowers.
What are you currently working on? How has your work evolved?
I paint and draw everyday. Even when traveling, I draw and paint in hotel rooms and airports. Entering my fourth year as a painter, I am currently working on expanding the form and function of my unique visual language that is often encyclopedic and informed by my global nomadic experiences.
With an insatiable interest in subjects like physics, economics, mathematics, time traveling, genuine equity, and unconditional love, along with my practices of mindfulness and non-judgment, my current focus is how to transfer it all onto the canvas in a way that gracefully combines the soul of intellectual and visual aesthetics.
Image courtesy of Halim A. Flowers.
Working with R&F Pigment Sticks® seems to be a big part of your drawing/ painting process. Can you tell us a little bit about how you discovered them?
When I started painting during the quarantine, the only reference books that I had were publications that I acquired from museums about Jean-Michel Basquiat and his works. I never read the books until I started painting.
Through studying this literature, I kept reading ‘oil sticks.’ I didn’t know what they were at that time, so I hit up different artists on Instagram that I knew about them. I began to order different brands of them online, but the quality of R&F Pigment Sticks® are unmatched. I never do a painting without using them!
Image courtesy of Halim A. Flowers.
What keeps you motivated in the studio? What is your typical studio day like? What's next on your horizon?
The two things that I value most in life are my relationships and experiences. The arts have afforded me the opportunity to develop genuine relationships with some of the most exceptional people in all walks of life from all over the world. Having access to such incredible individuals and institutions has gifted me the blessing of having an endless connection to the most dynamic conversations and gatherings.
Through these thought provoking engagements, I am constantly able to tap into how much I do not know, and that’s what drives me and my creativity: the humility and desire to lean into what I don’t know. Most people are ashamed of what they are not aware of, but I relish in my ignorance. It informs my imagination, fuels my creativity, and makes my ability to experience dynamic inspiration permanent. I never experience writer’s or artist’s block.
Image courtesy of Halim A. Flowers.
Anything else you’d like our readers to know?
I am often asked by other artists for advice on how to become successful in the art world. I let them know that you have to begin with the end in mind, and that success for me is being globally recognized as a prolific, intellectual and conceptually-influential artist, and not just commercial profit.
I also encourage artists to be as enthusiastic about the business of art, if they want to make a career out of it, as they are passionate about creating art. I think that it’s important for not only their career, but their legacy to be equally efficient in the creation and business of art.
On some level, every artist is an entrepreneur that manufactures assets that add intrinsic value to the human experience - more than fiat currency, which is only a medium of exchange.
Image courtesy of Halim A. Flowers.
To see additional images of Halim’s work, visit halim-flowers.com. You can also follow him on Instagram @halimflowers.