King Overman is an alias (and anagram) of British visual artist, musician and DJ, Kevin Gorman.

As a painter, he is best known for his large life-size portraits of sports and music icons, especially from Basketball. Several have been exhibited at Brooklyn Museum in New York (here) and featured in the New York Post. Collectors include film maker Spike Lee and NBA Hall of Famer, Dominique Wilkins. Amongst private commissions is a life-size portrait of golfer Jack Nicklaus, made in 2022 for the Masters in Augusta, Georgia.

He started creating art in 2021 after cancer ended his career in electronic music. To cope with limited energy levels, he developed a process for creating very large paintings. This involved working from his own pre-designed collages with separated blocks of colour. As time progressed, this aesthetic has become integral to his art.

He finds inspiration in classical portraiture, fashion photography and the scale and colours of street art. His works have developed from paintings on canvas and board into large sculptural works with wood and polystyrene.

His King Overman alias has also resonated online, with his most popular TikTok video surpassing 3 million views (here). In 2022, he published 'Ballers', a monograph documenting his Basketball portraits (here).

Prior to art, he was a DJ, music producer and label owner for twenty years, as Adesse Versions (Spotify) and Kevin Gorman. He performed at venues including Fabric in London, Berghain / Panorama Bar in Berlin and the Boiler Room. In the mid 2010s he had his own show on London’s Rinse FM. More info on his music here.

King Overman lives and works in Manchester, UK.

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