Chris Especial, whose work blends contemporary visual art with cartoon imagery, is set to host a pop-up exhibition at Winns Gallery from Wednesday 21st to Saturday 24th October
A new pop‑up exhibition opening at Winns Gallery next month will introduce Waltham Forest to the vivid, animated world of artist and designer Chris Especial.
Especial’s work blends contemporary visual art with the energy of manga‑inspired storytelling and his exhibition Special is set to run from Wednesday 21st to Saturday 24 October, with free admission for all.
The artist says it is the first in a planned series of community‑focused shows “designed to bring art beyond traditional boundaries and into local spaces”. Through a carefully curated selection of paintings, characters and visual narratives, Especial says he aims to “create a space for dialogue, connection and shared cultural experience”.
Especial’s work is instantly recognisable: colourful cartoon figures sprinting through forests, pausing in shock at snakes coiled around tree trunks, or navigating surreal landscapes that feel like stills from an unreleased animated series.
Born in Congo and raised in the UK care system, Especial began drawing as a way to cope with the instability of being moved from one foster home to another. Speaking to the Echo in 2024, he said: “Drawing and painting became my therapy. It was my way of getting through everything.”
As a young Black boy who struggled to be heard, he fell into trouble and was arrested for petty crime. “I was a broken child,” he recalls. “I felt like I could never let my guard down.”
The birth of his son in 2011 marked a turning point. Determined to rebuild his life, he returned to drawing with renewed focus, teaching himself digital painting and animation on an iMac he bought with scraped‑together savings. YouTube tutorials became his training ground. “I had a passion to make a difference in my life,” he says. “I saw the light and managed to navigate towards it.”
Today, he runs Especial Gallery, selling his artwork alongside clothing, flavoured drinks, key rings, stickers and vinyl toys.
“Life doesn’t have to end on the streets,” he says. “I want the youth to look at my past and see that there is a better road. If I can be that big brother who helps someone find their passion, then I’ve done something meaningful.”
Catch the exhibition at Winns Gallery, Aveling Centre, Lloyd Park, E17 5JW, 21–24 October, 11am–5pm
Read more about Chris here: ‘From foster kid to art entrepreneur‘ and check out his Instagram here
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