Errol Keane

Errol Keane II is a Jamaican-born illustrator and fine-artist. He was always fascinated by secret codes and hidden languages, incorporating it in his art from a young age. He later studied at Edna Manley College of the Visual and Performing Arts where he majored in Visual Communication specialising in Illustration. He works primarily in acrylic paints on a variety of surfaces. His illustrations explore themes of black identities, narratives and ancestry through both visual and tactile elements. Ancestry is a concept that is celebrated in most West African cultures. However, because of the nature of West African cultures, and colonialism, it difficult to trace one’s ancestry in Jamaica. References to the Yoruba and Akan cultures can be seen in his work. Incorporating adages, poems or quotes onto his works in braille, Keane encourages physical interaction with the art and awareness of braille and the visually impaired community. He combines tactile messages with the visual message, sparking discussions about the work, and its themes, with people who would normally be excluded from discussions about art. Drawing inspiration from Afrofuturism, Social realism, and West African culture, his work resonates with the social climate of the ‘Woke’ movement within the African diaspora.