The TABOO Series

August 19, 2025

UK artists Opake and Slawn come together for TABOO, a new project which toes the line, presenting a series of almost-explicit prints, paintings, and skateboards. Drawing from the impact of censorship on both artists’ practices, the Hentai girls that populate the pieces explore the question of who gets marked “off-limits” online and who doesn’t.

“I have never looked at Hentai as porn. I see drawing, discipline, exaggeration, storytelling. The minute you stick a label like ‘taboo’ on an image, people stop seeing the craft. TABOO is about removing that label and asking better questions," says Opake.

The figures, painted by Opake, are drawn over with Slawn’s iconic graphics, striking a compositional balance through their distinctive styles. The two collaborators began as friends, a bond which comes through bold works.