Detroit Dyer-Miller’s creative power is endless
Detroit is never settled; he’s always restlessly experimenting with different mediums to express his chaotic mind. Born in Essex but moved to north-west London to pursue his desire to become a multidisciplinary artist, Detroit has seamlessly transformed from creating your favorite artists cover artworks to curating physical solo exhibitions, hoping to make a significant mark in contemporary art. His journey, driven by passion and creativity, showcases his dedication to the ARTS. We had a sit down talk with Detroit as he reflects on his growth, inspirations, challenges, and the unique voice he brings to the art community.
Growing up in northwest London, Detroit’s love for art began at an early age. Despite his initial interest in science, art remained his true passion. “I’ve been creating art my entire life in different ways,” he shares. “From drawing in science and English classes to painting, my love for art has always been a constant.”
In an environment where art was not a common pursuit, Detroit had no local role models to look up to. “In my area, there were rappers, musicians, and comedians, but no one doing art,” he recalls. This lack of a blueprint, however, did not deter him. Instead, it fueled his determination to carve out his own path in the art world.
Detroit’s incursion into professional art began with graphic design, specifically cover artworks. His unique style quickly garnered attention, predominantly from clients in America. “Even though I was still in school, I started getting big jobs for cover arts,” he says. His works for prominent artists like Ice Spice, Trippie Redd, Len, Maison2500 and Central Cee are testaments to this. Despite this success, Detroit still felt a yearning to explore other mediums.
In 2023, Detroit decided to return to traditional painting, a medium he had not engaged with extensively before. “I felt like I had done everything I wanted to in graphic design and cover art. It was time to come back to painting,” he explains. This decision led to his first solo exhibition, “Forgotten People Fill My Mind,” held in central London. The exhibition was inspired by the idea that people from your past, whom you should have forgotten, still play an important role in your life today. The exhibition was a resounding success, drawing a crowd of up to 300 people.
Detroit’s work according to him is often rooted in personal experiences that stick to his subconscious, he notes them down in daily journal entries. “The ideas come first, and the medium follows,” he notes. His color palette prominently features purple, was inspired by his childhood. “Growing up, I had an infection which led to being bullied. The medication for that infection was a purple liquid given to my mom to treat it, so from that time subconsciously purple became a significant color for me. It’s tied to me,” he explained.
SLAWN ROLEX
— * . DETROIT . * (@DETROITDM) June 27, 2024
DIRECTION + VISUALS BY MYSELF@olaoluslawn @ROLEX ⚔︎ pic.twitter.com/Lheoad6QTI
In discussing the revitalization of the London art scene, we touched on Detroit’s recent work for Nigerian artist Slawn, in collaboration with Rolex. Detroit sees this as an inspiration for upcoming artists and, most importantly, he highlights the ability to merge both the high-end and low-end art worlds together, creating a holy grail. He says, “This collaboration, it’s insane because slawn is able to do the low end and high end at the same time. Obviously, that’s a luxury product because I think they all went for £15,000. So it’s sick to see that even if you have a low-end art product, you could still have access to the high end in today’s world.”
His inspirations span a wide range of artists and styles. While he acknowledges the influence of contemporary figures like Virgil Abloh, his all-time favorite artists include H. R. Giger and Kerry James Marshals. “Virgil is probably the greatest thing we’ve had in the industry in my lifetime,” he says,
Detroit envisions a future where art becomes increasingly accessible, breaking away from traditional hierarchies. “The internet has democratized art,” he observes. “Kids from any background can make a painting and have it reach the top without gatekeepers.” This power of the internet to bridge gaps in the art world is something he strongly believes in
As he prepares for his next exhibition, Detroit remains mindful of the pressures that come with success. “Many artists feel the need to do an exhibition every year, but overworking can damage the work. I want to take my time and create meaningful pieces.”
He remains focused on exploring and creating meaningful work rather than succumbing to the outside pressures of constant production. His vision for the future is one where art is both inclusive and accessible.
