Louis Antwi

Louis Antwi is back. The hugely talented 2009 Finalist, who was recognized for his achievements in poetry in the inaugural edition of Rare Rising Stars, has continued to use his passion to influence, engage and inspire hundreds of people.
Following his performance at a Chris Ofili exhibition which propelled him to become the youngest person ever to perform poetry at the Houses of Parliament, Louis teamed up with the artist again. This time, they were joined by nine other poets commissioned by fashion powerhouse Louis Vuitton to create work around the theme Paradise by Night.

The opening line of Louis’s contribution reads “The ring is distant” and is accompanied by an illustration from Chris in a limited edition book out now. Louis went on to perform the piece, also titled Paradise by Night, at the opening of the new Louis Vuitton store at the end of May 2010. The event was studded with stars including designer Marc Jacobs, luxury goods billionaire Bernard Arnault and actress Gwyneth Paltrow. Louis describes the experience (poetically, of course) as “exciting but supremely surreal”.

Louis was also targeted for an interview and photoshoot opportunity by sportswear giant Nike. Along with fellow members of the Run Dem Crew, a “creative minds running collective”, Louis can be seen in Nike’s ad campaign, due for release in autumn 2010.

In the meantime, Louis - who has just completed his second year of university and is preparing to specialise in Engineering and Process – is adding the finishing touches to a book featuring twenty of his distinctly evocative poems. He also spent three weeks on the prestigious WPP Micro Fellowship in July. For the second time. “I had an absolutely fantastic time last year so it made sense to come back for another year”, he explains.

He is continuing to develop his community initiative People You Should Know in the hope that he can foster strong relationships between talented creative minds and key industry players. And his poetry showcase Process, which was sponsored by a mystery donor, continues to be a popular event in Camden.