David ‘LEBO’ Le Batard
LEBO has participated in a series of solo and group exhibitions at alternative art spaces and music venues, while simultaneously displaying his talent as one of Miami’s beloved and predominant muralists. His work has been shown in galleries in Detroit, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Toronto, South Africa, Swaziland, Germany and Italy; his murals have energized communities from Miami’s Calle Ocho, to Uptown New Orleans, to San Francisco’s historic Financial District.
“My aim in creating art is to explore the purest, most spiritual elements of the arts and sciences – from astronomy to history, from music to physics – and to interpret them through the language of cartoons, giving them a unique and vibrant voice. After all, cartoons are a primordial form of expression that combines images in order to tell a story. We have only to think of cave paintings, hieroglyphics, or religious iconography for our proof. In reality, even when looking at Picasso’s work after 1905 it becomes very hard edged yet organic – the very essence of cartooning.”
– David ‘LEBO’ Le Batard
LEBO’s aesthetic influences are broad and diverse: editorial cartoonists and film animators, textbook illustrators, telescopic and biological imagery, historical art movements, renowned muralists and architects.
LEBO has developed a cult-like following as he demonstrates his Cartoon-Expressionistic style and improvisational process by engaging audiences at collaborative live painting performances at well-known music venues throughout the country. The artist unifies an aural and visual experience by creating continuous compositions on canvas, as he shares the stage with headlining musical talent such as the Beastie Boys, Bela Fleck, Burning Spear, Disco Biscuits, Les Claypool, Arturo Sandoval, Thievery Corporation and Wynton Marsalis.