Welcome to "Stories from the Culture" (#SFTC), a blog series where we profile everyday people from around the globe to tell us how their culture enriches their human experience. These stories follow an interview format and except for spelling and some grammatical adjustments, none of their responses are edited in any way.
Today's Feature: DAV3
What's your cultural background and which country are you currently based
I’m DAV3, 22 years of age. I was born in ILE IFE, Nigeria and I’m currently based in southeast London.
If you had a maximum of 5 sentences to describe yourself, how would you do it?
I will use only three words to describe myself: Private, Reserved and Quiet.
You create art (photography, graphic design, etc.). What is it about art that appeals to you as a mode of expressing yourself in the world?
I’ve always been into creating and interpreting art and the reason why I chose to choose photography as an outlet of expressing myself is because it gives me a chance to create individual bodies of art work inspired by the model rather than the model bringing my vision to life. In a sense my artwork is a visualization of my experience with the model.
Your IG Bio says "*I don’t create art for the masses. The masses are the art*". Can you elaborate on that? What do you mean when you say that?
Just my way of stating I don’t create my work to be appreciated my work is already an appreciation of all humans.
How would you categorize (if you can) your creative style?
Pretty much gritty, grungy pop art.
How connected would you say you are to your African heritage?
Because of how culturally diverse London is finding people from similar African heritage helps in keeping connected to my roots and also living in a Nigerian house hood I guess that also helps keeps me grounded.
How much (if at all), does your culture play a role or impact the art you make?*
It’s difficulty to say because my art is mostly driven by how I feel haven’t really thought of how it’s impacted by where I’m from.
What’s one song you can listen to no matter what mood you’re in or what’s going on in life?
JMSN- real thing
How would you describe your personal fashion style?
Comfort over everything.
What's your favourite clothing item that you own?
Not really a cloth person more into trainers but if it would have to be my grey Nike hoodie. Comfortable and goes with everything.
What does it mean to you, to be culture rich?
Having a sense of where you’re from and embracing it.
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Thanks to DAV3 for providing these transparent responses.
When we asked him for a photo he wanted published with this feature, he sent some options along with the following note, "...none of them are of myself. I just prefer to create behind the scenes and enjoy the experience of enjoying my work with others without people necessarily knowing who created [it]"
We really encourage you to check out DAV3's page as he has a very unique artistic style.
At Culture Rich World (CRW), we aim to be more than just a luxury clothing company. We are committed to telling human stories, amplifying the voices of those in the diaspora and ultimately, promoting the sharing of culture across people groups.
To be featured in our "Stories from the Culture" #SFTC series, click here!