Digital Legend Vince Fraser: African Culture through Digital Art

Digital Legend Vince Fraser: African Culture through Digital Art

 You could describe Vince Fraser as a legend in digital media and art. Vince has a career in digital art that spans over 20+ years.  He begun his career in the late 90s as an interior designer, fresh out of school, he quickly found out that there were little to none opportunities for black artists in digital media. 

We spoke to Vince recently and he credits his expansive portfolio as a result of being “bored very easily”. Lack of opportunities did not stop his interest in art but only managed to spurn his passion for creating new possibilities for up and coming black British artists. Vince had a unique opportunity as an exhibition designer, working with clients such as IBM, Apple and Intel. Being black and british found him on the outside of many doors and spaces that were reserved for white middle class women who dominated the industry. Although he excelled in interior design and architecture Vince had to constantly reinvent himself to find job opportunities. He soon found work as a designer and digital illustrator for the entertainment industry. 

From 1995, starting out with exhibitions and designing ahead of their time projections, Vince found tools and techniques that have translated from his first love as an illustrator, as a child, creating comic strips on A1 in the 70s into these out of the world digital scapes that we know from him.

Today, Vince is described as an Art activists, even though he sees himself as an artist who is primarily focused on representing himself, his ideas and most importantly reflecting the dynamism of African culture through digital art.

“ Bridging the gap between fantasy and reality, Afro-surrealist Vince Fraser’s mission is to inspire and empower positive, powerful imagery of the African diaspora.”

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Using every digital tool imaginable, Vince is currently interested in delving deeper into motion design and art and more specifically using Artificial Intelligence in his works. 

His latest project. Ase… is a multi-sensory immersive show that has been hosted across the world including most recently Miami, London and Las Vegas. 

Inspired by the idea of aṣẹ, the West African concept relating to our power to produce change, Aṣẹ: Afro Frequencies celebrates the historical, social, and cultural aspects of the Black experience through the perspective of artists Vince Fraser and Ursula Rucke

“The Black experience is often examined through a non-Black lens. I feel it’s important to tell the story from my perspective as a Black creative producing doorways into concepts beyond the realm of the everyday. I hope my work will inspire and empower a whole generation of artists to express themselves through their own unique art form