King Saladeen levels up, unveils collection at New York Stock Exchange
Protect young, contemporary artist King Saladeen at all costs. The West Philly creative has climbed the ladder to artistic success and now with his new installation Art and Money on display at the New York Stock Exchange, there will be no looking back.
Dressed to the nines, Saladeen pulled up to Wall St. in a matte white Rolls Royce for the official opening of the exhibition. Through his fashionable attire, a noble aura couldn’t help but shine as he walked into the largest equities-based exchange in the world.
How could he help but feel a powerful combination of confidence and humility?
This was the dawn of a new era and along with artists JohnBorn and Mister E, Saladeen would be a pioneer in support of bringing young, influential artists to the historic stock exchange.
As King Saladeen expressed in an IG post #NotBad4BoysFromTheHood
Art and Money’s curator, Peter Tuchman was one of three brains behind the installation. They carefully chose to showcase the exhibition, while simultaneously celebrating the NYSE’s appointment of its first female president, Stacy Cunningham.
It was a great evening for the stock exchange as they dove right into the culture. Cunningham who grew up on the trading floor expressed how taking leadership over the organization is something she’s “really proud of.”
Her colleague and spokeswoman for the NYSE, Kristen Kaus, couldn’t help but chime in. She said,
“You know what! She’s not the right woman for the job, she’s the right person for the job.”
This time around Saladeen took his art to a completely new level as his three pieces Bull of the Market, Buy Low, Sell High, and CEO were an immaculate mix of acrylics, spray paints, and oil pastels.
His works meshed perfectly with what the NYSE symbolizes and Mister E and JohnBorn’s aesthetic. Thus proving that art and money are, in fact, a beautiful unification.
Saladeen, whose artistic values are deeply rooted in the streets, expressed to us what it feels like to have his art displayed at the NYSE. He said,
“I’m from the streets. I’m from the hood but just like a lot of people from the streets and the hood, we are recreating these big conglomerate companies. We are there at the top of the mold.
So, that’s what I’m trying to do in the art game – bringing what we grow up from and expressing that on canvas… I’m just trying to bring what this side of the world needs and the other side needs to see to make some type of a balance.
You have a bunch of great people at the bottom that never even get to see that this exists. That’s pretty much what I’m trying to bring to this actual project.”
This is definitely some motivational content for the young creatives out there looking to share their works at a higher level. Saladeen is proof that if you believe in yourself and what you create, anything is possible.
He closed our quick conversation with some advice for the youth. He said,
“Create from your heart, not your eyes. Your heart ain’t going to lie. Your heart is going to say what it feels. It’s going to really push out the definition of you on canvas or whatever you’re creating on… Hone into your craft, network, and never think anything is outside your expectations…”
Seeing the creative visionary reveal his artworks at the NYSE was truly inspirational. If you want to hear more about Saladeen’s experience check out his podcast for Inside the ICE House with fellow Art and Money artist, Mister E below.