Artist Matt Small & Camden Blossoms: Turning Community Stories Into Art

Baby Cey talks to Artist Matt Small about Camden Blossoms, Windrush and Community.

For Camden artist Matt Small, Camden Blossoms brings together ideas that have always been central to his work: people, representation and finding ways to show the potential that others might overlook.

His latest work is a permanent public artwork celebrating the borough’s Caribbean heritage.

Born and raised around Kentish Town and Gospel Oak, Small says Camden has shaped almost every part of who he is. During the Love Camden 2026 Windrush Homecoming Celebration at Talacre,

Baby Cey from Itch Radio Future On Air Workshops, caught up with him to talk about his upbringing, his creative journey and the thinking behind Camden Blossoms.

Everyone Deserves to Be Seen

Portraiture sits at the centre of Small’s practice. He has spent years creating portraits of young people because, as he explained to Baby Cey, he believes that everybody deserves to be seen and heard.

For Matt, a portrait can give someone a sense of position. It can place people who might otherwise be overlooked alongside those who are already given a platform. That belief has shaped the way he approaches both his subjects and the materials he uses.

His use of found materials is an important part of that idea. Matt Small is known for working on discarded objects such as car bonnets, old signs and other pieces of metal, turning something that has been thrown away into something with value. On his own website, he connects those materials with his focus on young people who can feel undervalued or overlooked.

That connection is something he continues to carry into his public work.

What Camden Means to Matt Small

Growing up in Camden exposed Matt to people from different backgrounds, cultures and walks of life. He describes the borough as diverse, rebellious and full of different influences, with that mix making it difficult to see the world from only one perspective.

That experience taught him to value different viewpoints and make sure nobody is left out.

“There’s no one above, no one below,” he told Baby Cey. “We’re all the damn same.”

That belief sits at the centre of how he talks about his work. He sees art as a way of shining a light on people and giving them a sense that they matter.

Why Camden Blossoms Matters

Camden Council unveiled Camden Blossoms at Talacre Community Sports Centre on 20 June 2026 as part of the borough’s Windrush celebrations. The project features four mixed-media artworks inspired by Camden’s Caribbean communities. They explore service, activism, cultural identity and unity.

The Blossom of Service honours Jerry Williams, Camden’s first Black mayor. He helped transform Talacre from a bombsite into a community space.

The Blossom of Activism recognises Claudia Jones and her contribution to the civil rights and welfare of Caribbean and African communities in Britain. Jones also organised the UK’s first Caribbean Carnival at St Pancras Town Hall in 1959.

The Blossom of Cultural Identity celebrates Caribbean culture through the Funky Dred logo associated with Camden music collective Soul II Soul.

The fourth piece, the One Love Blossom, brings younger members of the community directly into the project. Students from Haverstock High School and Rhyl Primary School, along with children from the TAG play scheme, helped create the collaborative artwork.

For Small, those themes are closely connected. He describes Camden as a garden in which different people, cultures and experiences exist alongside one another, creating an ecosystem that becomes stronger through those connections.

That idea explains the name itself. Everyone has the opportunity to grow, contribute and blossom.

A Year of Work Behind the Mural

Although Camden Blossoms became part of the Windrush celebrations in June, Matt Small had been working on the project for around a year.

He told Baby Cey that the mural was originally expected to be completed earlier, but work on the building delayed the project. The extra time allowed him to continue developing the piece before its unveiling.

The process also pushed Matt Small into unfamiliar territory.

He deliberately chose to work in ways that would challenge him rather than simply repeat what he already knew. That attitude has been part of his practice for years, from painting on found materials to developing sculptural and mosaic techniques.

For Matt, taking a risk is part of being an artist. He would rather discover something new, even if that means failing, than stay on a comfortable path because it feels safer.

The Human Touch

That willingness to experiment also connects to one of the more contemporary ideas Small discussed with Baby Cey: the growing presence of artificial intelligence in creative work.

He believes audiences will continue to value the human element as technology produces increasingly polished images.

For Matt Small, the difference is the person behind the work. The decisions, imperfections, physical materials and time invested in creating something by hand all become part of the experience.

That human touch is central to Matt Small and Camden Blossoms. The artwork is built from materials that have been handled, shaped and assembled rather than simply generated. It also carries the fingerprints of the people and stories behind it.

Advice for Young Artists

Asked by Baby Cey what advice he would give to a young artist growing up in Camden, Small returned to the idea of taking the road less travelled.

He believes young creatives should not copy what is popular simply because it offers a quicker route to attention. Instead, they should hold on to their own ideas and remain present in what they create.

“Believe in your creative self,” he told Baby Cey.

He also stressed that creativity involves stumbling, confusion and failure. Those experiences are not signs that someone should give up. They are part of the process of discovering what they are capable of.

For young people starting out, his message is simple: stay true to your own voice, keep pushing and do not be afraid to take the longer road.

A Positive Contribution to Camden

Having grown up in the area, he wanted to leave something positive behind that reflected the community that shaped him.

That is also why the Windrush story matters so much to him. The generation who came to Britain worked, contributed and helped build the communities that exist today. Matt Small sees their example as something younger generations can learn from.

He sees the Windrush celebrations as important because they bring people together and highlight what connects communities.

For Matt Small, that is the real purpose of Camden Blossoms.

It celebrates where Camden has come from, recognises the people who helped shape it and gives younger residents a place within that story.

And perhaps that is the best way to understand Matt Small’s work. Whether he is painting a portrait, working with discarded materials or creating a permanent artwork for his home borough, he keeps returning to the same idea: people have value, communities matter and there should always be room to grow.

Camden Blossoms can now be seen outside Talacre Community Sports Centre in Kentish Town, where Small has left a permanent contribution to the place that helped shape him.

Follow Matt Small on his Website, Instagram, Facebook & Threads.

Itch Radio Future On Air Broadcasting Workshops are courtesy of Young Camden Foundation.