It’s no secret that we’ve been fangirling over LA artist Delfin Finley since he first appeared on our radar. With his stunning portraits of people of colour, he’s been challenging dominant art narratives by centring the contemporary Black experience in his work. The artwork he created for our limited edition collector’s item hardback issue, of Tyshawn Jones shot by Mario Sorrenti, is still one of our favourites.
We’re therefore very excited to announce that Delfin is now releasing his first run of limited edition prints. In a statement he explains that he has received repeated requests for this over the last couple of years, but has never wanted to rush the process. Reader: it’s time. A limited edition of 100 — created from an original painting of model and i-D contributing editor Paloma Elesser — will be made available on Friday. Each print is signed, numbered, and framed by hand in LA.
Delfin started out as a graffiti artist, but changed course to become a painter once he began attending art school. It was here that he saw the possibilities of mixing the local art that he saw growing up in the Westside and South Central, with the personal and emotional details of portraiture. In our interview with him last year, he explained that in his art he wants to represent America’s history of racism, prejudice and inequality. “I use red, white and blue to reflect on America, land of the free, unless you’re Black,” said. “I want to represent every person of colour who must carry the weight of their violent history. I’m trying to look ahead, feel empowered to move forward, but never forgetting.”
The prints will be available here on Friday 31 July at 12PM PST