Born 1986

Lakwena Mciver is a London-based artist of Ugandan and British heritage, best known for her street art, large colourful murals, containing strong motivational messages. Whilst studying for a degree in Graphic Design at the University of the Arts London she came across the work of the philosopher Roland Barthes and became interested in his idea of the artist as myth maker. This idea reinforced her interest in and the use of text in her work, an interest, developed at an early age, when she helped her mother producing protest banners for marches in London.

Her large-scale works, combining bold patterns, exuberant colour and typically proclaiming messages of affirmation and positivity, have received widespread international acclaim. Not long after graduating in 2009 she was invited to make installations for street art festivals in Miami and Las Vegas and had an exhibition at the Papillon Gallery in Los Angeles. Other commissions include those in Shoreditch, London, 2013; Tate Britain, 2016; the Bowery Wall in New York, 2017 and the Fort Smith Juvenile Detention Centre in Arkansas, 2017. An exhibition at the Hastings Contemporary Gallery is planned for November 2020 – February 2021.

The Best Is Yet To Come