Ricky Lee Gordon
South Africa
Ricky Lee Gordon is a self-taught Cape Town based artist, born in Johannesburg South Africa in 1984. He is best known for his vast-scale murals that can be seen in all over the world. Living by the law of nature his murals explore this area bringing light to the surroundings he paints. Ricky Lee Gordon has collaborated with URBAN NATION by contributing his works on a One Wall project in 2017.
Ricky Lee Gordon moved to LA in 2016 to study classical painting. It was after 2010 that he started using his real name; before he would paint under the pseudonym Freddy Sam (combination of his two grandfathers’ names). Since 2014 he devote himself to painting completely and had his first solo exhibition in 2015. It might be the place where he draws his inspiration from, his experience in meditation and Buddhist Dharma, or just the fact that he found his life purpose but his murals are the perfect combination of the nature of non-duality and the interconnection of things. He always tries to focus on the relevant social issues and the universal truth, thus his aim is to make people connect to his artwork. His style can be upfront, direct or full of moral. The combination of poems and images sums up perfection on a wall as his message.
Today, Gordon’s murals can be found throughout the world, from Cape Town to Melbourne to New York. Some of the international street art festivals he took part include Memorie Urbane mural festival in Gaeta, Italy (2016), Pow Wow Hawaii mural festival, Honolulu, Hawaii (2016), Matharan Green art festival in Mumbai, India (2015) and many others. Usually when he paints a mural in a new city, on arrival he takes a few days to research, talk to people in the area and find an idea that will connect with the community surrounding the space. He then simplifies the idea to highlight its universal nature and bring a new light on social issues relevant to the communities in which he makes the mural. Having painted under the pseudonym Freddy Sam – a combination of his two grandfathers’ names – Gordon reverted to painting under his real name in 2016.
Ricky Lee Gordon is currently based in Los Angeles, CA.
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