Ministry -Cosmo Sarson – Breakdancing Christ

Cosmo Sarson – Breakdancing Christ

Cosmo Sarson, born and raised in London, started as a child with graffiti and breakdance. He started breakdancing in 1983. Cosmo Sarson then studied fine arts at the Byam Shaw School of Art. He added traditional artistic disciplines to his graffiti skills and achieved early success.

His Work:

Cosmo Sarson worked with oils and gouache and began exploring themes related to hip hop culture. This resulted in almost trompe l’oeil images of break dancers, skateboarders and bmx riders. He stopped painting in 1997 and hung up his brushes after a solo exhibition in Regents Street. Until 2009 he stayed out of the art scene where he was friends with the then relatively unknown Nick Walker and Ben Eine.

Between 97 and 09 he found work as an art director in advertising and then as a scene artist on the film set. He painted everything from large scenic backgrounds to old masterpieces hanging as requisites, from murals to graffiti. His now famous painting “Breakdancing Jesus” was one of the ideas Cosmo Sarson had in the 12 dark years when he had no atelier.

After the student riots in Britain, Cosmo Sarson turned to images of police and rioters. He began with a series of works portraying the anarchy of the rioters and the desperation of the police. Much of the series was based on dramatic photographs. The photojournalist David Hoffman gave Cosmo Sarson permission to work with his shots of the student riots. Several of Cosmo’s riot-related works were painted on unusual materials. These include a series of police forces painted on reflective material with hi-viz effect. Often the materials such as hoodies, denim and tracksuits relate to the theme.

The British artist made the headlines with his huge 28-foot mural of “Breakdancing Jesus – the Salute”, created with over 1 kilo of gold glitter on a prestigious Bristol wall.