MONUMENTAL KING: Sherwin 'The Artist' Banfield
QUEENS, NEW YORK | SHERWIN ‘THE ARTIST’ BANFIELD
INTERVIEW XPONENTIAL CURVE
PHOTO @BEE.RAYMONNA
Trinidad born Queens Raised, Sherwin ‘The Artist’ Banfield, has for a while now, been the go to in creating statues honoring passed on Hip-Hop Queens soldiers such as Jam Master Jay, Phife Dog and Prodigy, moving to the next level of his career by being enlisted to make the sculpture of living Queens G.O.A.T, LL Cool J. One of the most monumental figures of the Golden Era of Rap now has a Monument dedicated to his impactful legacy as a Hip-Hop forefather.
It was the Legendary Jam Master Jay, of Run DMC's cousin, Venus Mazel, who passed Sherwins number to LL’s longtime friend Daryl Pringle and Def Jam Alum back in 2019 as the man to create this now iconic sculpture. Once he got the green light, it was go time, in an artistic process Sherwin compares to filmmaking… his brand of architecture. Between brainstorming, research, sketching and gathering materials, it took Sherwin about 2 years for the piece to be actualized. When recalling that time, he attributes the completion of his journey to Divine Guidance.
“Every step along the way as you put your foot forward is that of an invisible staircase that appears in front of you… As you keep walking and putting the work in, opportunities emerge.”
This invisible staircase brought Sherwin the funding, studio and even the exhibition space where it currently stands;
“none of which was planned out… Those were signs to me that this was meant to happen. I was just the Vessel.”
Located at ‘The World’s Fair’ in Flushing Meadows Park, Queens in David Dinkins Circle, the functionality of the piece depicts elements of Hip-Hip as well as denotes the signature 80’s style of the Queens Legend with a Gold chain, Bucket Hat and Boombox to match. Sherwin mixed these classic themes with current sustainable technology. His vision was to “create something new” integrating solar-powered energy used for the interactive BoomBox component, Sherwin recreated a JVC RC-M90 aka ‘The King of Boomboxes’ as seen on LL Cool J’s first album cover entitled ‘Radio’ embedding the classic cassette into the mold.
“Hip-Hop is about taking classics and making something new remixing the classics.”
After being inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame in October 2021, LL Cool J was able to keep the celebration going with the unveiling of his statue in his hometown only a short time later. This legacy can only be summed up by the quote from LL’s Beloved late Grandmother, Ellen Griffin, engraved on the monument, which says,
“If a task is once begun, never leave it till it's done. Be thy labor great or small. Do it well or not at all.”
After 2 years in the making, Sherwin has a goal to bring more education towards his passion of sculpting by showcasing how the works are produced from beginning to end for the community.
“Go out and Support Public Art. There are plenty of public art pieces you can not only just look at but you can interact with.”
And you can do just that while The G.O.A.T Monument is on display until November 23, 2022 Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 12-5pm which plays all those LL Cool J Classics…
“Go on dates- make that your first date. It may bridge some personalities… meet some like minded people who can appreciate the art.”
And why Not Fellas?!
Ladies Love Cool J.