Kid Acne

BORN– Lilongwe, Malawi 1978

LIVES & WORKS - Sheffield, UK

Kid Acne is a modern day renaissance man – artist, illustrator, print-maker and sometimes, MC. His formative years were spent painting graffiti, making fanzines and releasing DIY punk/hip-hop records. During this period he began to craft and developed his own inimitable and deceptively simple style.
In the late 90’s his work was first published in the now seminal Scrawl tome, which documented the conversion of counter culture illustration, skateboard graphics and left-field graffiti, preempting what are now widely recognised as ‘Street Art’ aesthetics.
While studying Fine Art in Sheffield, his work gained the attention of Warp Records executives who commissioned him to illustrate the LP sleeve for Plaid’s Rest Proof Clockwork in 1999. At the turn of the millennium, his work began to appear as the backdrop for major UK club nights and in style magazines throughout Europe, as well as customising everything from knitwear in Yorkshire to pizza boxes in Paris.
In recent years his illustrations have adorned products for leading brands such as Kenzo, Prada and Elle, whilst his art can be seen throughout the globe, in wheat-pastes, murals and gallery shows from Beijing to Azerbaijan – most notably his first comprehensive retrospective held at Museums Sheffield, which attracted over 50,000 visitors.
He is currently working on a series of short animations for Channel 4, for which he also provides the voice of the lead character, Zebra Face and is accompanied by a cast of British talent including Roots Manuva and Jarvis Cocker.

…and he still has acne.