3D biography

Robert del Naja is a founding member of the band Massive Attack and remains at the group's core today. Using the tag 3D, he has been active as a graffiti artist since his teenage years. Alongside his crew The Wild Bunch, he is credited as the spiritual leader of the graffiti scene in his native city of Bristol, and his paintings blazed a trail for the urban art movement that was to follow.

3D's painting has represented Massive Attack since the band's inception to the present day, on albums from Blue Lines to 100th Window. He has been involved in no less than four albums for James Lavelle's UNKLE project. The imagery for the UNKLE LP War Stories was featured in the 2007 Lazarides exhibition War Paint. He is also heavily involved with Massive Attack's stadium-show stage visuals produced by United Visual Artists.  Del Naja has co-designed all of Massive Attack's lighting shows with UVA; the shows are overtly political, dealing with current local and international issues.

A regular aspect of 3D's artwork is the adaptation of national flags in the red and black colours associated with the anarchist movement. These flags were exhibited when Massive Attack curated the Meltdown music festival at London's South Bank Centre in 2008. This theme continued at his latest exhibition, Fire Sale, an innovative show of unique screen prints, all of which were sold at a uniform price. The private view for Fire Sale saw Massive Attack play a rare DJ set in Lazarides Rathbone.

In 2011, 3D worked with Radiohead's Thom Yorke to create Occupied Xmas, an event that took place in the "occupied" UBS bank building to support the Occupy movement. 

3D has continued to back up his political standpoints in every aspect of his practice, from his work to his music, with action. 

Born in Bristol, England 1966

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2016 Ritual Spirit, Banksy Print Gallery, London

2013 Fire Sale, Lazarides Rathbone, London

Selected Group Exhibitions

2016 Still Here, A Decade of Lazarides, Lazarides Rathbone, London

2012 Bedlam, Old Vic Tunnels, London

2011 The Minotaur, Old Vic Tunnes, London

2008 Warpaint, The Outsiders London, London

2008 Southbank's Meltdown Festival, London

Artist's Website:

3D