My name is Aeophex. Pronounced A-O-fa-ex. Common monikers is The Almighty Aeophex or No Limit Aeophex. Inspired by Master P, one of my models for humankind. As a boy, I was first inspired to draw from seeing my dad draw spiderman. Seeing his immense talent made me want to draw too and I never stopped drawing since then. I can firmly say that if anything ever tried to take that away from me I’d choose death over that.
Up until I 2009 I spent my youth drawing comic books, I still read them now and again because the lessons in some of them still permeate for me. In that space of time between 2009 to 2011 I spent doing my best with my tools to take care of my family. I’ll make several points throughout this, but firstly i want you to take this lesson of: you must find a way. The way schools taught me is college was the only way out, or sports. And those are options. For me I didnt want to do A or B so I made an option C.
I got to work on envisioning the world i want to live in. I shook off non-believers. When you’re doing something for you, there will be 100s of voices telling you to give up. They are voices of the living dead.
2011 – The Aeophex Name was born
2015 – First art show at Geekbar
2017 – Artshow at Morpho Gallery
2019 – Granted help to get into the Zhou B. Art Center by amazing artist FarFan to reveal The Vybes Collection
2021- present – Tour of Kushukuru art collection
I want you to really look at these, in these gaps I spent countless months and years hunting, talking, searching, researching, gaining spots, and losing spots. Building the doors and looking for doors built for me, and I got some great people in my corner, who have seen what I’m trying to build, and support it.
Another lesson i want you to take away from this is never stop clawing. If you grew up in the hood like me you have everything telling you “YOU ARE NOTHING”, it doesnt do this overtly. It does this through the imagery on t.v., it does it thru the talking points, the criticism, the lack of opportunity, or geographic positioning. I grew up on the south and east side of chicago. I dont know when you are reading this but still as of 2021 it is a bleak mass of buildings, empty lots, and gutted communities. I feel an obligation to give the kids who grow up here the inspiration and opportunity that I never felt i got because I didnt play basketball or sing.
If you come from where i did, and not just physically, the mentality of the hood, you are my spirit. I think of you when i produce these paintings, make these videos, write these think pieces. I am inspired by the things we’ve seen. The traumas, the glimpses of joy we share that people that dont come from here would ever understand.
Updated 8/05/2022 at 9:39PM
My favorite artist was and has always been Caravaggio.
I respect the Gods that came before me. Ernie Barnes, Kerry James Marshall, Botticelli, Camille Pissarro, Bronzino, Amy Sherald, Claude Monet, Aleksander Gierymski, Andrea Del Sarto, Candido Portinari, Hans the younger, Alexander Roslin, Fredric Remington, Winslow Homer, Gustave Courbet, Fredric Edwin Church, Stanley William, Haseltine, John Singer Sargent, and Hebru Brantley (who signed my frickin art book, whaaa).