Next up in our long run of catching up with what we have been up to in South London over the recent few months we are taking a look at a fantastic work from artist Louis Masai placed up a couple of months ago in Charlton as part of a national awareness campaign focusing on the plight of Orangutans due to deforestation at the hands of Palm Oil production.

Louis sets to use his art as a platform for people to question convention and social practice, these perceptions don’t resonate with him as a person or an artist. Painting these animals allows Louis the chance to add a message, thinking outside the box with how people can challenge conventional norms by doing just that. Louis knows he can’t stop elephants dying, and neither should he carry such a burden, but by painting them he can hopefully make people aware and encourage others to help make change happen.

Which is what Louis has recently done whilst working with International Animal Rescue and Meridian Foods Louis Masai painted 10 artworks in England and Scotland in this series of works focused around Protect Pongo – Pongo being a critically endangered Orangutan who has been run out of his home due to mass deforestation. The project was designed to highlight people consumer habits regarding palm oil consumption and make individuals more aware of the consequences of their purchasing habits. For this project Louis painted nine realistic Orangutans in four major cities, and one large=scale mural featuring his distinctive patchwork style through which Louis draws upon the idea of animals being reduced to nothing more than a child’s toy, a representation to the memory of itself, presenting a chilling forewarning against the damage and destruction mankind is perpetrating around the globe.

We of course wish to say a massive thank you to the owners of the space who kindly donated this lovely wall and trusted us to work it. As well as a really big thank you to Louis Masai painting this superb artwork. This fantastic work can be found in Calydon Road and was put up with support from ourselves London Calling Blog.