Skepta has unveiled his latest artwork, The Window, a painting depicting a shirtless man perched on a window frame with a tree and wooden boat in the background. The rapper and artist took to Instagram to explain that the piece was inspired by the isolation faced by office workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Finally finished 🥹😭,” he wrote. “During COVID lockdown 2020, I once had a thought about all the people working isolated in offices without windows and started this new oil paint piece called The Window. Five years later, it’s complete.
It’s changed and adapted over the years, but I’m officially done. Took a few days for me to make the window frame, sawing and staining it, but I’m happy with how it’s turned out, so it has been worth the work. I will be exhibiting it soon for you all to see up close. Another one.”
While many people worked remotely during the pandemic, Skepta’s broader theme of confinement resonates with pop culture today, especially with the popularity of Severance and its depiction of windowless office spaces.
It’s not the first time Skepta has showcased his painting skills. During lockdown, he painted Mama Goes to Market, a Lagos marketplace scene inspired by his frustration over travel restrictions that kept him from visiting with his daughter. He has cited influences ranging from Edvard Munch’s The Scream to the album covers of Tupac Shakur, Pink Floyd, and Queen.
Speaking to Sotheby’s in a previous interview, he reflected on his appreciation for the craft. “I have gained a massive appreciation of the emotion, energy, and creativity of artists, many of whom sit for hours at a time,” he said. “If I look at an art piece and feel something, I fall in love with it – I’m interested in how and what it’s making me feel.”
