Inspired by LBTY.: Vine Thief by Alfie Kungu
The Leeds-based artist shares his interpretation of Liberty LBTY. Fragrance’s newest scent
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Inspired by LBTY.: Vine Thief by Alfie Kungu
The Leeds-based artist shares his interpretation of Liberty LBTY. Fragrance’s newest scent
A deep-rooted passion for artistic expression lies at the heart of Liberty, from the Tudor foundations of our store upwards and outwards. The exquisite world of Liberty’s LBTY. Fragrance is no exception, guided by a passion for creativity and collaboration, celebrating history and heritage with an eye to the future.
And what better way to explore the intricacies of the Liberty’s LBTY. Fragrance collection than by continuing our close collaboration with the creative world? This year, we’re tasking a series of contemporary creatives with reimagining each scent through their unique artistic media as part of our Inspired by LBTY. series.
Born in the Yorkshire town of Hebden Bridge, Alfie Kungu’s playful, bold and vibrant work combines inspirations from his British upbringing with his Kenyan heritage.
Having studied fine art at the University of the West of England and the Leeds College of Art, his visually maximalist style is immersive and warm, informed by a focus on memory and nature.
As he turns his brush to the latest Liberty LBTY. Fragrance launch, Vine Thief , Liberty met with Kungu at his Leeds studio, to find out more about his inspirations, craft and how he went about translating Vine Thief to canvas.
Vine Thief by Alfie Kungu
Tell us about this artwork - how did you bring it to life?
I was excited to start this painting because of the word “vine” and the name Vine Thief. I have been painting lots of vines recently and I am really fascinated with nature, specifically with vines and growing plants. Having the opportunity to intertwine this with my practice was really exciting.
I wanted to paint the vines, but I also wanted to bring to life the nature of what the fragrance is about. The elements of the fragrance and the person who would wear it is bold, distinctive, and punchy.
The idea of being brazen, like a thief, really leans into these aspects of the fragrance and its ingredients. Painting a thief and having them entangled with the vines on a sneaky sort of mission, I feel, is a visual representation of what it would be to be a “vine thief”.
I tried to capture the essence of the character of the thief and then, within that, paint the actual the ingredients. I have also used a colour palette that relates to each ingredient.
Can you talk us through your creation? What is the meaning behind the elements of the artwork?
My practical approach to making these artworks was that I wanted to depict each ingredient, but it has to tell a story, and did so by creating the vine thief as an actual character. They needed an environment, which was the strawberries and the vines. I managed to create a narrative of the story, building a world where the thief is stealing the fruits from the vines.
Once I had the story, it was easy for me to give shape to the painting I was going to make. I wasn't just painting a strawberry or a vine: I painted the face. It was the thief navigating the vines, picking the strawberries and stealing in them.
It was a really interesting way to work. Once I looked at the ingredients, I applied that to the narrative I was trying to tell with the painting.
“Nostalgic familiarity” has been used to describe your work. What does this mean to you?
Nostalgic familiarity really lends itself to this project because, for me, there's nothing more nostalgic than smell.
A scent can take you back to anywhere in your life: to a time in your life that you didn't even know you'd remembered, or that you'd forgotten. Painting is really similar: it can feel nostalgic, like you already know it, or that it's really familiar.
What I hope my work projects is that sense of familiarity. If people can associate with it, that's just a bonus. For me, to paint based on a fragrance seemed really natural, because a fragrance really reminds you of someone or somewhere or some time: just as a painting does.
Where do you find your inspiration?
I find inspiration from all aspects of life. I do find it in nature, but I also find it in memories. You can find inspiration from like the most mundane things, and I find it usually comes from something that catches you off guard.
A lot of my inspiration also comes from colour combinations. For me, strawberries instantly say red and green. I could do a half red, half green canvas and think strawberry. It’s not a strawberry at all, but those colour combinations really inspire me. Even if you're not painting something directly, pairing certain colours together can bring to mind really specific things.
A scent can take you back to anywhere in your life: to a time in your life that you didn't even know you'd remembered, or that you'd forgotten.
How do you combine your Yorkshire and Kenyan heritage in your works?
This has been really important to me over the past two years. In my work for the first few years, I was trying to explore painting techniques and mediums to find what felt right, but I kept moving from one process to the other.
In the past few years, my identity and heritage became really important as a focal point within my artwork. Your artwork is a reflection and an extension of yourself, and it's the first, well, only version of yourself that people see. To be authentic to that, I had to look inwards and struggle with finding the right way to communicate my heritage.
Now, I combine my Kenyan and Yorkshire heritage in my works by painting people and scenes that derive from those places, and I really try and sort of incorporate that into every aspect of my paintings.
What does it mean to you to be working with Liberty?
This is a really good opportunity to communicate my artwork and share my ideas with a wider audience that I wouldn't typically have the opportunity to tap into. Within that, new conversations arise and new people come into your life and come across your artwork.
I want as many people to see my artwork as possible and hopefully some of them will resonate with it. I feel like my job is done by doing that.
Read More: Inspired by LBTY: Tudor by Wilfrid Wood
How does this fragrance make you feel?
This fragrance really brings up memories of somebody that you know. That's probably one of the most powerful things about fragrances and smelling good: it can leave a memory and that can be really important to other people and to yourself.
The scent really captures this moment in time and I will associate it with having a good time painting these new works. I'll always remember and associate the smell with these paintings.
