Writing plays a central role in the majority of Motta’s artistic disciplines, from novels to articles, lyrics to his musiscal compositions, screenwriting and stand-up comedy.
2023 saw the self-publication of his latest comedy novel ‘40 Nothing’, a tale of sex, marketing and salvation. Set in the fast paced world of digital marketing, the spiritually bankrupt marketing guru Zane Hutch is losing the will to live. Told in the first person narrative Zane wants you to know the world is heading down the toilet and he helped flushed the chain.
Other novels by Motta include ‘VIR’US’ and ‘Celebrity Rape’ which like ‘40 Nothing’ examine the contemporary environments we live in; the technological, political, economical and pornographic.
All books available on Amazon. Learn more about the books here.
Motta has been painting and exhibiting his graffiti-esque abstract work for over 25 years. Latest commissions include Norton Motorcycles. He is a London born self-taught studio artist based on the South Coast of England. Initially he was hugely inspired by graffiti, street art, hip hop and skate culture. Later he became obsessed with the Amercian expressionist art movement. He now exploits both mediums to produce his graffiti-esque asbtract artwork. The paint is applied with out-of-date creditcards or uncleaned brushes where the paint has dried to achieve a hard calligraphic edge. The paintings are produced to look like they are saying something with the brushstrokes implying the meaning rather than a definitive set of letters.
“The pieces I feel at times are symphonic and fueled with an improvised rhythm, energy and cadence as the indelible strokes bounce and tear across the canvas much like the improvisations of a bebop jazz musician.”
“In a world where the freedom to be oneself is increasingly constrained, where the act of conforming is ever-present, where every movement is monitored and through the use of AI every future each step is already planned the canvas for me is a catharsis, a place to be free, in the Brave New Digital World.”
Learn more about Motta’s artwork here.
As hip hop culture played a pivotal role in Motta’s art, it also influenced musically and lyrically with its beats, lyrical dexterity, outspoken political attitude and tongue. This combined with the influence of Bob Dylan and the New York folk scene saw Motta fuse a political folk-esque live hip hop band. With a signing to the Some Bizzare record label, working with the legendary notorious music manager Stevo Pearce in the late 1990s, this led to the release of the critical acclaimed politically outspoken album ‘Picture That’.
After working with Stevo, Motta continues to write, record and produce albums almost on a yearly basis as either Kai Motta or as his comedy alter ego ‘The High Priest’.
Learn more about Kai Motta and his music here.
The High Priest is Motta’s comedy alter ego. A pornographic, political, offensive priest… with hymns. Straight out the Deep South of England, Folkestone twinned with Alabama the High Priest has been banned from many clubs as he spreads the love and touches his flock deep inside. Eversince his excommunication from the church for excessive profanity, heavy drinking and spreading the love he now performs his ‘services’ with his very funny, provocative, inimitable style. A High Priest ‘service’ is not a safe space but a space for challenging hypocrisys, orthodoxys, racism and many other subjects others fear to address. He has performed services all across England, the Edinburgh festival and New York.
2022 saw the release of his comedy music double album: ‘All Offence Intended’ with a hip hop production and ‘Unsocial Media’ an acoustic production.
Learn more about the High Priest here.
Motta is very much the auteur where filmmaking is concerned, from writing the screenplays, to acting, directing, producing and editing his own music videos, comedy skits and short films. Motta comes from a film industry family, most notably his late father, one time BAFTA winner and two times Oscar winner. New films are constantly in production using the local area and friends as actors.
A comedy pilot for ‘Meet The Mottas’ is currently in production.
Learn more about Motta’s films here.
