Within the city of Atlanta, several young entrepreneurs, artists and creators can be found working on art soaked with expression. For a lot of these artists, their work is so much more than what is on the surface. Art overflowing with heart, soul and passion is a common theme around the city, and young Atlanta artists such as Lucy Luckovich, Unannounced and Blake Towns make it known just how important it is to create with meaning.
Luckovich, a Georgia State junior, began her journey as an artist at just 19 months old. Growing up, Luckovich was surrounded by art in all forms. With both parents being artists and three older siblings also making a living from art, Luckovich spent her entire life submerged in art. She originally planned to major in graphic design, however, she decided she wanted to do what she loves— art.
“I have always had a fascination with history and the way that the industry and technology develops. When I changed my major, I just wanted to paint. Over quarantine, I was able to paint every day, and I wanted to follow my heart,” Luckovich said.
For Luckovich, art holds the power to speak volumes. She uses this power to create a new narrative for women and female empowerment. Through her art, Luckovich paints women nude to fabricate a different narrative for the female body. She does not paint for the lust of a man, but as a way to sexually liberate women.
“I read a book by Simone de Beauvoir called ‘The Second Sex’ that was about how women are viewed as everything in-between, or as the other sex. I work a lot with femininity in my artwork, and I work with the ideas of the modern struggle of sexism,” Luckovich said.
Luckovich’s art can be viewed on her Instagram, @lucyluckovich, where she frequently posts her work. In the future, Luckovich plans to collaborate with more artists and work with her friends, who are also artists.
For Mayowa Amosu, who goes by the artist’s name Unannounced, art is all about breaking the rules. Through his film and photography, Unannounced makes sure to use effects and features to create abstract pieces of work while avoiding standard guidelines of photography and videography.
Before deciding to follow his passions and become a photographer/videographer, Unannounced majored in computer science. After taking a few classes, he quickly realized that this route was not for him, and he didn’t want to follow a normal lifestyle.
“I was looking for something I could do, so I majored in computer science. I didn’t like it, and I didn’t want to do something that other people do. So I started doing more photography,” Unannounced said.
Unannounced describes his work as “abstract,” and he mainly works with hip-hop and fashion. Within his work, Unannounced tries to create his own style of filming.
“I want to explore new ways to tell a story with a new and unique style,” Unannounced said.
Unannounced art can be found on his Instagram, @unnanounced, or on his website that is linked in his Instagram bio. He plans to collaborate more in the future and is constantly working on new stuff.
Blake Towns, a 27-year-old Atlanta-based artist, began his journey as a photographer/videographer in 2016 after discovering Cady Studios, a senior portrait place located next to the restaurant he worked at the time. He wanted to start taking photos, and Cady Studios seemed like a good place to start. After working there for a couple of months, he decided to begin trying things
Towns has a love for rap and rap culture, and he expresses this love through his photography and videography. Apart from film, Towns works in A&R, which stands for artists and repertoire. Through this work, Towns is responsible for the artistic and commercial development of an artist. Being the best at what he does is very important to Towns, and he takes his job and his art form very seriously.
“I wanted to be the best. I wanted better for myself. This guy from high school was doing it, so I thought I could do it too, but I wanted to be better,” Towns said.
While working in the music scene, Towns toured nationally with artists such as Big Krit and Cyhi shooting film and videography for them. His work in the music industry led him to collaborate with artists such as Juice WRLD, Future, Lil Baby and more, working closely with these artists to deliver an outstanding finished product.
“My experience with Juice WRLD was one of my favorites,” Towns said. “It was cool because he bought me a tattoo that says ‘misunderstood’ that’s behind my ear. Another one was when I was on tour and the artist shouted my name out and everyone cheered. And then going on a national tour with Big Krit and Cyhi.”
Towns’ work can be found on Instagram under the handle @atlantadigital. In the future, he hopes to have some of his work hanging up in the airport, where local artists are sometimes featured. He is currently working towards a goal of having an executive position at a major record label.
