At Harlesden High Street gallery, grieving looks different. Across carnival weekend, director Jonny Tanna hosted two days of commemoration to the late hip-hop illustrator and legend, Darryl “Joe Cool” Daniel (b. 1968 – d. 2024). Presenting exclusive, never-seen-before drawings and custom merchandise, the exhibition celebrates the life and work of an incredible artist, on the cusp of worldwide infamy.
He’s the man behind the artwork of his cousin Snoop Dogg’s multi-million, and genre-defining album DoggyStyle. But he also has a wide selection of work, ranging from his recognisable hip-hop illustration, full of mischievous canine characters, to more unrefined artistic sketches.
Selected artwork included scans from Jonny’s collection of sketchbooks which close friend Cool had mailed him over the years. Some unfinished, which co-curator Sophie Barrett Pouleau says “was very important for us to show as it symbolised the abruptness of Cool’s death.”
In true Joe Cool fashion (quite literally) the first day of celebrations saw the space host a T-shirt-making workshop run by artist Sarita Acosta Vargas. The bespoke garms beckoned in friends and passers-by alike, both welcomed as regulars and encouraged as artists as they spray painted Mr Cool’s signature ‘NastyDogg’ in luminous blue onto crisp white T’s.
Sarita’s favourite stencil was one of Nastydogg posing besides Gaturro, a Colombian cat found in newspapers, in which artistic collaboration lives on even after death.
The following day, fresh off the plane from Joe Cool’s funeral in LA, Jonny continued the celebration of his life in the form of BBQ and drinks outside the front of the gallery. Yet another open invite to the local community, which included fans, artists, hungry highstreet-ers and returning carnival goers.
I was tasked with capturing some moments throughout the weekend and as an outsider, or newbie if you will, it could be easy for me to have gone unnoticed. Instead, I was welcomed with open arms and whilst photographing I was introduced to local artists, such as the current residents at the Unit 2 Project Space with Romane or building networks of care through art with Ethereal Maison founder Sally Hernandez.
Bringing together art and the local Harlesden community is essential to the gallery’s manifesto, Sophie says that their goal is to “showcase art practises that are accessible, and can be experienced by people of all ages, social and cultural backgrounds.” As someone that struggled with addiction in his early life, and worked close with social change organisations such as Project Save Art, it’s evident that these feelings rung true for Cool also. While presenting a painting to the project in 2015, he said “It’s really touching to my soul to see people in the audience are going through or have been through struggles, like me”.
Co-curator Sophie adds that her favourite Cool quote is the following: “I didn’t think it would be iconic, man. And then when it sold as many as it sold and I seen my sh*t up there, it just gave me like, ‘Damn. I can’t believe it. My artwork is out there.” When asked why, Sophie shares that to her it “perfectly sums up the passion Cool had for his work and the hunger that he had for connecting with others through his art without the focus on the aftermath, or monetary or social currency.”
When asked how Harlesden Highstreet brings the community together through art, Jonny responds: “Being the only spot that shows art in an ungentrified neighbourhood and selecting a quality selection of works by professional artists, whether they’re emerging, outsider or even established, and that’s appealing to the local community. I want to give access to art that they would not normally see. That being said, most of what you see at the space isn’t what you’d see at your average contemporary gallery.”
No cup went empty, and every plate was full. Cheers to Joe Cool, Jonny, and Harlesden High Street.
Photographs and words by Madeleine Evans
