The artist has successfully produced his epic street art creations in limited editions. Born and raised in London, the artist began drawing as a child. Breakdancing also played a role in Sarson’s life from a very early age: “We used to go to school earlier, so we were able to practice on the linoleum floors in the rooms before class.”
He later studied fine arts at the Byam Shaw School of Art, supplementing his graffiti skills with traditional artistic disciplines. Cosmo Sarson’s success was not long in coming – the legendary Paul Smith sponsored his first solo exhibition.
Working in oils and gouache, Sarson began exploring themes around hip-hop culture, painting images of breakdancers, skateboarders and BMX riders.
In 1997 he said goodbye to painting after he was in the course of a solo exhibition on Regents Street and had demonstratively hung up his brushes. He then withdrew from the art scene for a long time. In 2009, the tide turned. Sarson now spent time with other artists, such as (the then relatively unknown) Nick Walker and Ben Eine.
Until then, he had worked as an art director in advertising, and later as a set designer on film sets. There he created everything from large scenic buttresses, to old masterpieces used as props, to frescoes and graffiti.
His famous painting “Breakdancing Jesus” was one of the ideas Cosmo Sarson developed during those twelve years.
