Tell us about yourself:
Albert Marealle who goes by Albzmadeit is an Illustrator from East London whose art is heavily influenced by Anime, Hip Hop and Black Culture. Albz’ work focuses on representation as well as making sure that the viewers feel emotions of joy, happiness, motivation and inspiration when viewing his work as well as being able to relate to the pieces made and see themselves in his work; a sense of tapping into the culture
What is the inspiration behind your poster design?
When I thought of black boy joy. I thought of black men expressing themselves in many different ways, showcasing that we’re not always tough and screwed up but actually we do enjoy life, are creative, challenging stereotypes. At first, I thought of the Harlem shake (the original one), getting sturdy as well as the lean with it dance moves (popularised by Dem Franchise Boyz) and figured out that could be one way of expressing black boy joy. Then I thought of Dennis Rodman, one of the greatest rebounders for the Chicago Bulls, I really liked how expressive he was through the different types of hairstyles that he had especially throughout the 90s, expressing himself in a fashionable manner so that’s what inspired me to put black boy joy on the hairstyle.
Why do you love being creative?
It just brings me joy. being able to escape from reality, drawing out your imagination and bringing it into reality and seeing other people loving it sometimes brings me shock but joy at the same time. I see art as a hobby, something that should be for fun and like shouldn’t be done under pressure but out of joy.
Tell us about your experiences in the design world…
For me, it’s been a mad one. I’ve been doing digital art since 2017, where I didn’t know many black artists (especially digitally) that were putting art out like that on instagram so I was scared. So seeing so many people showing love for my style (from all races and backgrounds) and also seeing how many more black artists have come out and posting their art is so encouraging. I’ve also been recognised by Converse and become a part of the Converse All Stars community for my art which comes to show you’ll never know where your art can take you you know.
