Opake and Slawn Drop 'TABOO' With Surprise London Pop-Up

Summary

• Opake and Slawn fuse anime-inspired works with chaotic overpainting in ‘TABOO’
• The project spans a ‘Big Issue’ cover, limited drops and a surprise London pop-up

Two of the UK’s most unfiltered names, Opake and Slawn, are linking up for TABOO, a project that blurs the line between what’s explicit, what’s acceptable and what gets shut down. It started on September 15 with Opake stepping in as guest editor for The Big Issue. He designed the cover and sat down with Slawn for an unfiltered conversation on labels, censorship, faith, addiction and how breaking rules can sometimes be the best way forward.

The collaboration takes shape on September 25 with a release of hand-painted skate decks, original canvases and editioned prints on Slawn’s site. The centerpiece of the collaboration is a fully hand-painted Ferrari 308 featuring the artist’s motifs. Early October will see the works come together at a pop-up in London at an undisclosed location where collectors can get their hands on artist-proof prints and a limited T-shirt made with The Big Issue.

For the drop, Opake introduces anime-inspired works that question ideas of what’s considered obscene. Slawn adds his trademark energy, layering clown-like figures, scrawled masks, and warped grins across the pieces. The result is a mix of playful and satirical, with TABOO presenting two artists working freely on their own terms.