SAKI&B has made a quite an impression in Shoreditch over the last couple of years with her unique artwork, so it was about time we found out a little bit more about her…
BM: Tell us about your art: What do you do? What inspired you to start?
SB: I’m known for naughty girls and there’s many ways in which I create my girls. I enjoy street art, paintings, drawings and anything else in which I can get creative with as long as my girls looks good, that’s all that matters!
I was a fashion make-up artist before, but I wasn’t really not happy seeing all the super skinny models, so in the end I started to draw big curvy girls like all the sex card in London telephone boxes.
BM: You have quite a unique name for an artist, how did you come about with the name SAKI&B?
SB: Well it was quite easy, I’m SAKI and I paint/draw/create Bitches… So as a result of the two SAKI&B(itches) was formed. People used to think SAKI&B is a group or a crew, but I’m just a one man (woman) band.
BM: What is your most important artist tool? Is there something you can’t live without in your studio?
SB: The most important tool that I use to create my work is the OLFA SAC-1 Tool 30°, which is a great craft knife to sharpen my pencils and not forgetting dark chocolate and Rooibos tea which is a MUST in my studio.
BM: Is there an element of art you enjoy working with most?
SB: I love the whole process of making my girls from start to end, but the most fun part is the moment that I get ideas for the next project and imagining them in my head! I get too excited when that happens, that I even can’t sleep! That feeling is always enjoyable and I never get tired of it.
BM: What has been your most successful project/exhibition so far, or what project did you enjoy the most so far?
SB: It’s kind of hard to say to be honest. Almost every project I chose to work on had a different mediums/materials, so from each one I all together experienced a different feeling for.
But if I have to mention one, I would say the first ever show “Tokyo Lady Chatterley” at my studio in London. I showcased 7 big glass paintings, and that was the first time I showed my work to the public. The glass paintings was real fun project to work on, and I was very happy about the designs I made for that show as well.
BM: Is there an artwork you are most proud of?
SB: Well that’s quite an easy question to answer, it most definitely has to be “Jenny on the Bike”. She’s officially the first painting I did in London, and still is the best character of mine to this day. I pasted quite a lot of Jenny around Shoreditch and East London, and that was in my early days of street art exploration.
BM: Can you tell us about your forthcoming project?
SB: I’m showing my girls in the group show called “Fem Graff” at the Lollipop Gallery, alongside a host of talented female street artists, including: Amanda Marie, Amara Por Dios, Ashes 57, Vanesa Longchamp, Victoriano, Vinie Graffiti and Zabou.
I know it’s going to be a great show, with the variety of work from all these cool artists. And then there’s me, I’ll be showing a new body of work which will be something simple but kinky with that signature SAKI&B touch.
BM: Your artwork has been seen around the streets of Shoreditch over the past 2 years, how would you describe the street art scene in Shoreditch?
SB: I used to have a studio in East, (I still call it East rather than Shoreditch even though my studio was situated in the Shoreditch area… The word “Shoreditch” has always been too fancy for me) so I could create fun stuff things like my big wooden art pieces which I placed them on various walls in the area. It was very convenient as Shoreditch helped me to promote my name as an artist and my girls.
The way I see it, if you do piece of art in Shoreditch, somebody will definitely find you. If you do a real great piece of artwork in Shoreditch, then you could even end up being famous! There are so many people from all around the World in Shoreditch that love all forms of art, I suppose showing work here is a good business opportunity. To me Shoreditch is very open, easy and a perfect environment for both artists and audiences.
BM: What are your future plans?
SB: Fun and naughty stuff as usual… I will announce some very fun projects in the near future, so make sure you all follow me via my various social media accounts for updates.
‘Fem Graff’ exhibition open’s on the 21st January 2015 at The Lollipop Gallery – 58 Commercial Street, London, E1 6LT.
To keep up to date with all things SAKI&B, you can follow via her social media sites:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sakiandbitches
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bear.saki.7
Instagram: http://instagram.com/sakiandbitches
Tumblr: http://sakiandbitches.tumblr.com/