September 8 marks the launch of TABOO, a collaboration between Opake and Slawn that explores what it means to be forbidden in a world where almost nothing is. With a cover by The Big Issue, a drop of skateboards and prints, and a secret pop-up in London, the two artists tackle censorship, addiction, and cultural obsession with what is and isn’t allowed.
At Highxtar, we spoke exclusively with Opake, who speaks with no holds barred about hentai, his mental chaos, and why art has to make people uncomfortable in order to fulfill its purpose.
On September 9 and 10, hand-painted skateboards, original works, and limited edition prints will go on sale on the Slawn website. And on September 19, London will host a surprise pop-up where the pieces will be displayed alongside hand-altered artist proofs and a special T-shirt co-branded with The Big Issue.
In TABOO, Opake presents drawings and paintings inspired by the imagery of hentai, questioning who defines obscenity and why certain images are labeled taboo while others are normalized. Slawn, for his part, bursts onto these surfaces with his satirical, Pasayesque figures.
“I have never looked at Hentai as porn. I see drawing, discipline, exaggeration, storytelling. The minute you stick a label like ‘taboo’ on an image, people stop seeing the craft. TABOO is about removing that label and asking better questions.”— Opake
The strength of the project lies not only in the visual result, but also in the trust and friendship between the two creators. With no formal training in art, they recognize each other as outsiders and decide to seal that connection through a joint work that speaks entirely about them.
HIGHXTAR. (H)– Hey Opake! You collaborated with Slawn on Taboo; what was the process of co-creation like without one overshadowing the other?
OPAKE (O)– Firstly, Slawn and I are friends. He’s my brother, and I have a lot of love for him. The work is a byproduct of that friendship, a physical representation of it. So the idea of one overshadowing the other doesn’t come into it, because we’re just messing around and having fun. If you go into something creative with that attitude, then who cares about the outcome? The time we spend together and the process in the studio are all I care about.
HIGHXTAR. (H)– Why use hentai as a visual language instead of pornography?
OPAKE (O)– We live in a society where Bonny Blue can gather a thousand men in balaclavas, film it, appear on Good Morning Britain, and be celebrated in some way. OnlyFans is glorified, Instagram is practically a porn site, and porn websites are a mess. Hentai has always been seen as a dirty little secret, but why? The creativity and execution of those illustrations are unmatched. Why should it matter to me or Slawn if someone sees it as pornography? I want to pose that question: if it’s not socially acceptable, then why not? 😂😂
HIGHXTAR. (H)– Your works mix graffiti, pop art, and iconic figures from pop culture. How do you decide which characters to feature and how to transform them?
OPAKE (O)– All my work is based on my volatile mental health and addiction. I live with the ‘disease’ of addiction daily in lots of aspects of my life. My work depicts that, but also nullifies it through the creative process. That means there is always chaos, always lunacy. I think subconsciously, that just comes out in the work. The decision of what characters to use comes from hours and hours of drawing behind the scenes. I cannot sit still, and I definitely cannot just sit and watch TV, so I draw instead.
HIGHXTAR. (H)– The superimposition of images and colours is very characteristic of your work. What are you trying to convey with that visual density?
OPAKE (O)– Mania and chaos. Unless I live a strict routine, which to most would seem dull, my world turns into mania and chaos. I draw from my own experiences in life. For me, that is where the best work comes from, and it is all I know. By layering the work, I want it to feel claustrophobic, but with a sense of calm hidden within the lunacy.
HIGHXTAR. (H)– Taboo questions what society labels as “forbidden.” Do you think art has the power to redefine those boundaries?
OPAKE (O)– I think art pushes boundaries. It is meant to. But what is forbidden anymore? What is sacred now? Where is the moral compass pointing? To be honest, I think the compass has gone out the window, but that is fine. You just adapt and play with the new parameters. As we consume more and more, life becomes more comfortable, and we are force-fed information, so we lose a sense of what is acceptable, and everything starts to become acceptable.
What is forbidden anymore? What is sacred now? Where is the moral compass pointing? As we consume more and more, life becomes more comfortable, and we are force-fed information, so we lose a sense of what is acceptable, and everything starts to become acceptable.
HIGHXTAR. (H)– What emotions do you hope your work will generate in those seeing it for the first time?
OPAKE (O)– That is a difficult one. I would say take from the work what you will. There is no right or wrong answer. My main goal was to make the work accessible to everyone and to spread some awareness about things I have been through. If that comes across, amazing. But if you just like it because of a particular shade of blue, that is alright too.
HIGHXTAR. (H)– Is there a political or social message you want the public to perceive in this collaboration with Slawn?
OPAKE (O)– I think I answered this earlier while talking about Bonny Blue. That message still stands. What is taboo now? It feels like a competition to see who can do the wildest thing and then make people pay to watch it. If that is your thing, fine. Slawn and I wanted to make something that was not disposable, something with substance. We knew we would press buttons and annoy people, but are you really saying anything worthwhile if no one pushes back? Essentially, it is two people coming together: me spending days on the detailed work, and Slawn coming in and tearing it up like a four-year-old, and making it better. Which, secretly, I am very envious of.
HIGHXTAR. (H)– Why are some taboos accepted in pop culture while others are censored?
OPAKE (O)– If I were Leonardo DiCaprio painting Kate Winslet naked before freezing to death because she took up the whole door, that painting would be celebrated and cherished. Tracey Emin’s figurative work, not pop culture but still graphic, is also cherished. So what makes hentai so unacceptable? It is beautifully created, expertly crafted work that should be celebrated. Either that, or we are both perverts who should be locked up. I will let you decide.
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