An AI visual artist and poet, is raising awareness for sickle cell disease in an exhibition he’s curated at Boxpark Croydon.
Rizzy Amole wanted to put together an exhibition to raise awareness for the disease he lives with, along with 8million others worldwide.
The Stratford-born artist uses AI software on Adobe Illustration to enhance his paintings.
He said: “I basically wanted to start something that connected to people with sickle cell.
“I then started to share my journey of living with sickle cell on TikTok.
“I showed a story of transmuting my pain into beauty and beautiful art.
“I’m continuously exploring AI technology to eventually get to a place where I can create animation.
“I do want to make an animated AI series of artistic content that reaches and connects with people.”
The 33-year-old claims AI doesn’t improve, but adapts his work.
He said: “It enhances it to be more precise in what I’m expressing and the way I want the art expressed.”
Sickle cell disease is an inherited health condition that affects red blood cells, and causes chronic pain, breathing issues, extreme tiredness and other symptoms highlighted on the NHS.
The disease mainly affects ethnic groups including African-American groups, Hispanic-Americans and people of Middle Eastern, Asian, Indian and Mediterranean descent.
When discussing support in south east London, Amole said: “There isn’t enough.
“However, there’s been a wider understanding on sickle cell and now we’re starting to get to a point where there are voices of people within the subcommunity.
South London has the highest number of people living with sickle cell disorder and Boxpark’s collaboration with Akanji Studio is raising awareness whilst engaging the community.
He said: “There is a part of you that needs to coexist with what you’re being told.
“A lot of people are told that their life expectancy is low.
“I’ve been told since I was a child that you know you only have a few years to live so enjoy life, my parents were told the same.
“It’s important when managing sickle cell that you overcome the things you’re told and you do truly believe that you will live and you will make something out of yourself, and you can live your dreams just like I’m living mine.”
Amole has curated art pieces, along with poetry that is displayed in both Croydon’s famous Boxpark, and in Shoreditch’s venue.
The exhibition will be at Boxpark Croydon until September 30.
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