American artist Halim Ali Flowers at the Champop gallery in Paris, France. May 12, 2023.

Video. His paintings are on display at the Champop gallery in Paris

A teenager wrongly sentenced to life imprisonment, artist Halim Ali Flowers, who collaborated on a Kim Kardashian documentary about the American prison system, is exhibiting his paintings in Paris and tells AFP about his rebirth through art.

A teenager wrongly sentenced to life imprisonment, artist Halim Ali Flowers, who collaborated on a Kim Kardashian documentary about the American prison system, is exhibiting his paintings in Paris and tells AFP about his rebirth through art.

"I don't smoke, I don't drink, I don't party, the only thing I do is art, it's my drug, it's my life," says this self-taught 40-year-old American from the black ghettos of Washington.

Fifteen of his paintings are on display until Sunday at the Champop gallery in central Paris. Colourful and full of symbols, they highlight the marginalized, prisoners, homeless or mentally ill and are inspired by those of Basquiat, who inspired his passion for painting.