Keep Praying

You might think that someone with a secret identity would be shy around cameras. But street artist, Hugh Leeman, didn’t flinch when our DP, Nick Kova, asked to take his portrait. AC first met Hugh when we profiled him for the Bold Italic late last year. Back then, he was getting all sorts of attention for his T-Shirt Project, which used his portraits of the SF homeless as a vehicle for social justice.

Now Hugh is embarking on a new mission – to preserve the culture of mankind. In his own words, “The voice in my head was saying ‘Hugh, cover up corporate advertising with your vandalism. Do it not just for fun but also for the father and my son.'” And he’s doing just that. Nick photographed Hugh with his latest work, a Valencia Street billboard reborn as a reminder to “Keep Praying.” We look forward to seeing more work from this new series, which Hugh says, will incorporate both installations and performance art.