David Samuel is an artist and designer known for his abstract style of painting. Born in 1980, David has been creating, showing and selling his work for over 20 years.

In 2003 David led the way in an emerging scene and opened the UK’s first graffiti art gallery, ‘RareKind’; where he held gallery shows for some of the country’s most recognised and respected graffiti artists. David later went on to also open a hand-pulled screen print studio, producing prints of RareKind artists’ work while also curating and designing for various brands.

Rarekind went on to become the thriving Creative Agency it is now, with a dedicated team of artists, sign-writers and craftspeople, headed up by David, working across a huge spectrum of creative and commercial projects. 

As well as the agency, David also continues his prolific work as an artist in his own right. He has shown his work in exhibitions and created numerous public works particularly in and around his home city of London.

From his thriving creative studio space in North Acton, (fast becoming one of London’s newest creative hot spots), David’s abstract designs continue to captivate and inspire his audience, showcasing his unique talent and passion.

https://david-samuel.co.uk/

@davidsamuel_rarekind

The London Art Exchange met Smurfy outside their London art gallery. He wasn’t asking for money — he was selling his art with a sign that read:
“PLEASE HELP — BUY MY ART.” Since then, Smurfy’s work has gone viral. But likes don’t change lives. Together with the help of our partners, HFEH Mind, Family Matters, The London Art Exchange, Hestory Groomers, and Krish’s Parlour Soho — we’re helping Smurfy build a new chapter in his life.

https://www.tiktok.com/@smurfyinsoho
https://www.instagram.com/smurfyinsoho/

Matt is an author, life coach and speaker. His first book is a daily reader combining the fun of film with useful life wisdom and motivation. He currently lives and works in Kensington, where you’ll often see him on his evening walks in Holland Park or Kensington Gardens. He’s lived and worked in China and speaks fluent Mandarin. His biggest claim to fame is appearing on Chinese TV in front of hundreds of millions alongside Thomas Muller.

Matt is the author of A Gold Medal is a Wonderful Thing, a collection of 367 daily meditations, each one sparked by a quote from a film. Every day begins with a line or two from a movie, followed by a thoughtful reflection that offers inspiration, philosophical depth, and emotional insight. The themes span the full sweep of life – love, loss, identity, meaning, relationships, grief, joy – and each entry is designed to help the reader appreciate the meaning of their own life.

Insta: https://www.instagram.com/mattmainlife

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-main-564a30b4

Manos Felice is a London based Pencil Artist from Anglo/Italian heritage. Working mostly in Graphite & Charcoal he produces highly detailed works in a realistic style.

Since becoming a professional artist in 2020, Manos has focused heavily on developing his craft by undertaking numerous studies in Anatomy, Photo-Realism, and Portraiture. In 2021 Manos successfully completed an MBA with the Professional Artist Institute.

In August 2021 he was featured in a competition by ‘Artists & Illustrators’ magazine with his piece entitled ‘Great White’ as Editor’s pick.

In May 2023 he exhibited for the first time with Harrow Art Society at The White Cube Gallery within Harrow Art Centre and received their ‘Ian Wright Memorial Prize’ award for best Graphite representation.

Previously, Manos expressed his creative talents through music, having been a professional percussionist for 20 years. Hearing difficulties caused a withdrawal from this profession, and he is now delighted to be creating again and expressing his new passion for drawing and art.

Insta: @manosfelice.art

http://www.manosfeliceart.co.uk/

I’m Alaa Shasheet, a contemporary artist and analogue film photographer based in London.

I enjoy capturing architecture, street scenes, landscapes, and the quiet, beautiful corners of life, especially those bathed in sunlight.

My work often explores the relationship between urban structures and their surrounding environments. I’m continually drawn to warm, natural light, using it to reveal textures and details that breathe life into each image. Through my photography, I aim to show an authentic, natural atmosphere, capturing the feeling of the place.

@shasheet_alaa_art

Vig, AKA Vigspoetry, is a twenty three year old slam-winning spoken word poet, host, model, workshop facilitator and multidisciplinary freelancer. He has won the Run Your Mouth Winners’ Slam, the London Genesis Poetry Slam, and was runner up at One Mic Stand Manchester. Vig is also the regional producer and host of Poets Palace Birmingham. He has headlined poetry nights, cultural events, featured at art exhibitions, award ceremonies and literature festivals across the Midlands and London, as well as placements on BBC. Vig is also a part of the 2025 ‘Words A Stage’ cohort with Apples and Snakes and has work published in Punch Records’ Anthology ‘Enter West’ and a poem displayed in ‘The Zephaniah Forest’.

He also has a spoken word short film on knife crime titled ‘Batman’ being planned for summer. Cathartic and personal – his poetry navigates through the ups and downs of being a young neurodivergent man of the global majority. Taking particular interest in inspiring and impacting community, challenging cultural stereotypes, race, men’s mental health and SA – you’re in for a treat!

@vigspoetry

Blessed to be part of the amazing band _Tall Lady_ and recently releasing solo stuff too, I think there’s no better way to express oneself than through music and art. As a bloke who’s been through depression, suicide attempts, and even recently cancer, the power and importance of expressing oneself holds more sway over me than ever, and I think things like Friday Night Lights are what we need now more than ever.

@talladyband

Yebbz Ashanti illustrates stories through words to keep his mind at ease.

Arun is a multidisciplinary artist, performer and English teacher with Mauritian heritage currently based in London, UK. His work features in The London Reader, The Black Spring Group Press’s The Best New British and Irish Poets 2019-2021, fourteen poems, Magma 89 and The Commonwealth Foundation, as well as other established literary and contemporary poetry magazines and anthologies.

A runner-up of the John Hopkins Prize (2017) and BBC Words First participant (2021), Arun is an alumnus of the Roundhouse Poetry Collective (2021-2022). He has performed at an event for Little Amal at the Roundhouse (2021), Grand Junction’s Night of Power (2022), The Last Word Festival (2022), #Kindfest 2022, Camden Inspire (2022-2023) and ‘Express Yourself Freely’ in support of Palestine (2023). He was Ink, Sweat & Tears’ Pick of the Month (November 2023).

Arun was an artist with The Mehfil Resonates: Art of Resistance 2024 cohort creating powerful testament to solidarity and resistance. He is currently on Poetic Unity’s Liberated Voices project creating a collective spoken word album in collaboration with live musicians. Arun’s debut pamphlet I Want to Be the One You Think About at Night was published by Waterloo Press (2020).

@g2poetry

Daniela Cezara Nikola is a London-based artist and educator whose work bridges classical oil painting techniques with a contemporary, intuitive expression. Becoming one with the paintbrush, she feels each pigment as part of her being.  Each stroke, a thread of memory, emotion, energy. Bridging painting and poetry as parallel forms, she creates emotional landscapes where silence speaks and colour vibrates with meaning.

At the heart of her practice is a deep attention to the things we often overlook or run from, the uncomfortable emotions, the taboo moments, the pauses in the mundane, the subtle shifts of feeling, the power of a single hue. Her work invites reflection and intimacy, offering a space where grief, love, longing, and hope emerge as shared human experiences : timeless, tender, and true.

Insta: @DCNSTUDIO

Dr Sahir Khurshid is an entrepreneur and internationally noted protein crystallographer with hands-on experience of translating cutting edge, innovative ideas to commercially available products. Straddling academia, industry and the private sector, this has encompassed the design and delivery of complex research projects, cross discipline collaboration, product development, commercialisation, outreach and influencing policy.  Sahir holds a PhD in Biophysics from Imperial College London.

Sahir will be discussing his Community building startup which he created with Imperial scientists to empower local residents, students, businesses and institutions across west London

Impromptu Social

Launching this summer in conjunction with the Republic of Park Royal, the Foundry Collective, MLP and other stakeholders in West London, Impromptu is a decentralised events platform with multiple USP’s. It serves as a community builder forging tighter bonds between students, residents, businesses and local institutions. Our name and ethos were inspired by university life, where feelings of isolation and a lack of exposure to the surrounding environment were prevalent. Furthermore, the ability to (a) form friendships and (b) find accessible local events during our pockets of free time was nigh impossible. Despite London being a bustling metropolis, extensive surveying indicates that these notions pervade demographics.

The Living Room Collective W12, offspring of local jazz-hed and multi-instrumentalist Steve Maud with bassist Stephan Chandler, is a driving blend of deep beats, dub bass ukulele, nujazz funk, and improvised electronica. Resident band at Hawksnest W12, they’ve collaborated with top artists like Transglobal Underground and rising R&B stars. Think Herbie Hancock meets Jon Hopkins meets Erykah Badu—groove, adapt, and take you on a journey. #LiveMusic #NuJazz #DubFunk

@livingroomcollective_w12

I’m Still Here is a feature documentary by Franc Vissers shot in London during the first 12 months of the Covid pandemic, where hundreds of people were left “locked out” on the streets.

This film gives them a powerful voice during this unique time and highlights the efforts of Under One Sky, who defied the virus and walked out into the unknown to serve. Watch the trailer here

Produced by Hope Film in collaboration with award-winning creators Misfits Entertainment (McQueen, Rising Phoenix) and Elizabeth McGovern (Downton Abbey). The film will be released in 2023 with all profits being donated to Under One Sky and homeless friends on screen

Alfie and Max are activists putting parking tickets on homeless tents to make an important point. The Vagrancy Act has criminalised rough sleeping in England for more than two centuries and remains in force until replaced. The Humans Parked Illegally campaign worked to convince the government to finally axe it for good, by raising 10,000 signatures to change the law that criminalises people who are homeless for sleeping on the streets. This law has now changed!