Alloyius McIlwaine

The beautiful thing about art is that it transcends everything––from language to race to class. Art even transcends time itself. I want to use my art to reach people and to touch hearts across the world...throughout time.

––Alloyius McIlwaine, Painter

Philadelphia-born and based artist, Alloyius McIlwaine, paints in a signature style that colorfully combines street art, pop-art, and comic book illustration. Whether painting a mural or on canvas, his work dances freely in colored planes, vibrating with geometric abstraction. He often features symbolic shapes, “kudoglyphs”, which give visual language to positive affirmations.

McIlwaine is self-taught, having painted regularly since he was three years old. His first introduction to art was through comic book images, which he attempted to duplicate in detail. In that process of duplication, in every line and brushstroke, he found immense joy. Early on in his career as a professional artist, his primary purpose was to recapture that joy. After experimenting with watercolor, acrylic, oil, charcoal, and sculpture, McIlwaine found peace in abstract, freestyled murals, developed on site without any expectations of the outcome. This freedom of expression, of allowing the art to flow through him, led to the development of a signature artistic language that floats happily between figuration and abstraction. It is energetic, playful, vigorously free and happy. McIlwaine’s style is inspired by Keith Haring, Basquiat, pop artist Roy Lichtenstein, street artist Tristan Eaton, and artists who combine both styles like POSE and Britto. 

McIlwaine has painted murals across the globe, covering public and private facades in the US,  Japan, France, Costa Rica, and Morocco. McIlwaine is also the Founder and Designer of Cultures Clothing Company. His work is frequently showcased and has appeared on TV shows including Kevin Hart's TRUE STORY and the upcoming BEL AIR drama series. Recently, McIlwaine made commissioned works for the cast of Netflix's Queer Eye while they filmed in Philadelphia,  as well as projects for the NFL, Comcast, Makers Mark, and Miller Lite. 

Read MAINLINE TONIGHT'S interview on Mcilwaine's latest exhibition here: https://mainlinetonight.com/2022/02/18/why-were-obsessed-with-alloyius-mcilwaines-new-show/