Deanio X (b. 1989) graduated from the University of Kent with a degree in American Studies (History & Literature). He has since sought to create visual narratives built from research, observational drawing and imagination to stretch conceptualisations of popular history. Interested in redefining tales that surround the contemporary experience of Africans in Europe and beyond, Deanio X accepted a scholarship to the Royal Drawing School in 2018 to build on his self-developed practice and further explore the transformative potential of visual art. After graduating in 2019, he has since undertaken commissions and work from the Royal Drawing School, the Royal Museum Greenwich and London South Bank University. In 2022 he was awarded the Hanover Grange Jamaica Residency by the Royal Drawing School. In 2023, Deanio X was one of ten artists commissioned by His Majesty The King to create portraits of pioneering members of the Windrush Generation. The project, which marked the 75th anniversary of the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush, was featured in the BBC documentary ‘Windrush: Portraits of a Generation’. The works will be exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in October 2023.