I started painting ‘skullboy’ in 2006 for no urgent reason - it was simply a vehicle for which i could use to make things. This moniker not only gave me a shroud under which to experiment and fail but also acted a form of shadow-self - a nasty lil character that could say all the things my square-self could not. Skullboy was important for me as he not only helped me explore and define a visual voice of my own, but also became a scapegoat that i navigated my twenties with. As my world-view became fuller, so did focus in my work become more defined.
My last body of work for THE PREOCCUPIED LIVES OF ISLANDS was trulythe ultimate climax to painting under the alias for just over 10 years. This work is certainly my most important work to-date as it finally brought together a lot of ideas I’d be working with for years into a unique voice of my own. It is in this crescendo however, that i realize that SKULLBOY has finally fulfilled his task and must be released.
As I turn 30 this weekend, a new life chapter needs a new work chapter. i realize the importance of the work made under skullboy, but more so the importance that I learn from his explorations and progress not as my id, but as myself. It is for this reason that today marks an evolution - from here on, SKULLBOY is dead but Louis de Villiers lives.
I must thank everyone who supported me through these years - collectors, gallery-folk, friends and especially the family at @kalashnikovvgallery for their boundless insight and their unwavering support. I look forward to our future - all of us - together #rip #skullboy #longlive #louisdevilliers
