LONDON.- The Outsiders London present Make It Last Forever, a multi-disciplinary exhibition by UK street art pioneer, Sickboy. Marking the artist’s first London gallery appearance, this comprehensive showcase features a unique body of surreal abstract canvases alongside an elaborate installation designed specifically for The Outsiders’ basement space.
A leading artist to emerge from Bristol’s infamous graffiti scene, Sickboy’s humorous and subversive street exploits have firmly placed him in the upper echelons of the British street art movement. With appearances in Banksy’s Oscar nominated ‘Exit Through The Gift Shop’ and impromptu public installations outside the Tate Modern, Sickboy’s return to London with a full-scale exhibition celebrates a poignant embodiment of the artist’s inspirations to date.
Seeking to freeze-frame life’s ephemeral nature in the form of vivid, forward-thinking paintings, sculpture and installation, Make It Last Forever presents the unconventional artist’s most cohesive showcase to date. Utilising a variety of mediums Sickboy has been able to curate an array of personal assemblages, between his London and Barcelona studios, into an intimate and thought- provoking new body of work.
“Since I can remember I have been collecting objects of personal interest and categorising them to give the sum of objects a new story amongst their interchangeable juxtaposition, anything from a Disney character jilted by the ages to inanimate objects of beauty found on the street, jewels amongst the trash or gifts from the good people in my life. A good find always excited the inner child and pushes the story teller within me forward.” – Sickboy, 2014
Alongside a bold technicolour installation, Sickboy’s iconic visual language will be reappearing in several guises throughout the show including his pioneering temple shrines, ever-popular superman sculpture and distinctive Sickboy coffin. Inspired by Natural History museum displays, the artist’s ‘Table of Contents’ will take pride of place amidst the interactive installation and will feature the artist’s most sacred ephemera, travelling souvenirs, embroidered patches and unobtainable collectables. The upper gallery will play host to an array of cosmic canvases inspired by the culminated memorabilia, depicting abstract narratives, otherworldly characters and hallucinogenic worlds.
Make It Last Forever presents a unique multimedia visual diary that seeks to outlive its creator, a rare opportunity to delve inside the chaotic existence of a nomadic talent. Just as materialistic articles end up lost, stolen or blown away, Sickboy highlights the transient and wreckless nature of our existence, and thereby questions how can we preserve these sentimental archives and nostalgic battle scars, how to Make It Last Forever? Although the stunts, slogans and constructions have been confined inside gallery walls, the ethos and inquisitive spirit remain true to the original street displays that earned Sickboy his undisputed global recognition.
