A Creative Series by Vakseen
Fear of a Black Planet began as a playful celebration of Vakseen’s favorite cartoons, donning beautiful brown skin. Blending his love for pop culture, animation and vibrant color schemes, the artist has created a unique series that has lent itself to personal reflection and a deeper kind of dialogue based around fear, race and disrupting the narrative of the black experience in America. What are you afraid of?
“From Popeye & Mickey to Snoopy & Spongebob, I grew up in the 80’s & 90’s glued to cartoons like most kids. I remember having He-Man birthday cakes, GI Joe action figures, Charlie Brown bed sheets & so much more.”
Vakseen
“Cartoons were a huge deal for me and seeing each creation come to life helped shape my own creative, adolescent imagination.”
Vakseen
FRED! The Power Return!
“While Saturday mornings served as major inspiration, something else always stood out. None of my childhood heroes looked like me. Cartoons lacked diversity. We had no black superheroes growing up, which is pretty crazy when you consider American animation developed out of minstrelsy. Cartoons have kept the aesthetic principles of minstrel shows alive to this day.”
Vakseen
UHHHH. Patrick, What Am I?