A new pop-up exhibition at Winns Gallery next month will introduce Waltham Forest to the vivid, animated world of artist and designer Chris Especial.
Especial's work blends contemporary visual art with the energy of manga-inspired storytelling. His exhibition, Special, runs from Wednesday 21 to Saturday 24 October, and admission is free for everyone.
The artist says it is the first in a planned series of community-focused shows "designed to bring art beyond traditional boundaries and into local spaces". Through a curated selection of paintings, characters and visual narratives, he says he wants to "create a space for dialogue, connection and shared cultural experience".
His work is easy to recognise: colourful cartoon figures sprinting through forests, stopping in shock at snakes coiled around tree trunks, or making their way through surreal landscapes that look like stills from an animated series that hasn't been released yet.
Drawing as therapy
Born in Congo and raised in the UK care system, Especial began drawing to cope with being moved from one foster home to another. Speaking to the Waltham Forest Echo in 2024, he said: "Drawing and painting became my therapy. It was my way of getting through everything."
As a young Black boy who struggled to be heard, he got into trouble and was arrested for petty crime. "I was a broken child," he has said. "I felt like I could never let my guard down."
The birth of his son in 2011 was a turning point. Determined to rebuild his life, he went back to drawing with fresh focus, teaching himself digital painting and animation on an iMac he bought with scraped-together savings, with YouTube tutorials as his training ground. "I had a passion to make a difference in my life," he has said. "I saw the light and managed to navigate towards it."
Today he runs Especial Gallery, selling his artwork alongside clothing, flavoured drinks, key rings, stickers and vinyl toys.
"Life doesn't have to end on the streets," he says. "I want the youth to look at my past and see that there is a better road. If I can be that big brother who helps someone find their passion, then I've done something meaningful."
Visiting
Special is at Winns Gallery, Aveling Centre, Lloyd Park, E17 5JW, from 21 to 24 October, open 11am to 5pm. Entry is free.
