LONDON.- Eleven presents Printed Matter, an exhibition dedicated to limited edition prints. The exhibition features work by select gallery artists alongside some of contemporary art’s most prominent artists. The artists featured in Printed Matter are Charles Avery, Peter Blake, Jake & Dinos Chapman, Adam Dix, Shepard Fairey, Damien Hirst, Gary Hume, Natasha Law, Grayson Perry, Keith Tyson and Jonathan Yeo.
Charles Avery’s set of lithographs Place de la Revolution are studies of cyclists. Each cyclist exists in isolation from their environment, inciting questioning to which true contexts they may belong. These works act as a microcosm of Avery’s artistic practice which is dedicated to all facets of life on a fictitious island.
Peter Blake’s recently published etchings Elvis Two Rivers (2014) and Liberty Beauty Rose (2014) are new additions to his seminal series of wood engravings from the 1970’s featuring circus and fairground entertainment imagery, subject matter which Blake has revered throughout his life. These prints reflect Blake’s first return to etching in over two decades.
Jake & Dinos Chapman’s Etchasketchathon etching series (2005) perverts children’s colouring books, turning innocent scenes into gruesome nightmares. Mixing found imagery with intricate drawings; each image evokes a hellish childhood where kids, bears and clowns become dangerous creatures ready for the worst.
Adam Dix’s work explores our associations between communication technology and our absorption with it. He examines the disparity between our desire to communicate and the physical isolation of others that technology can engender. This is exaggerated by appropriating similar traits found in the genres of science fiction, folk lore, and religion, by exploring ideas of ritual and ceremony to emphasize a sense of compliance or worship.
Shepard Fairey’s set of silkscreen and gold foil-block prints Power and Glory (2014) explores themes of allegiance, influence and authority in America. The American flag serves as the basis for the works before Fairey reinterprets the iconic pervasive design both aesthetically and conceptually.
Damien Hirst’s Doxylamine (2007) and Flumequine (2007) form part of his series of ‘spot’ paintings and prints. They are titled after pharmaceuticals and each work reflects a highly manufactured process where they are crafted so no two colours are the same.
Gary Hume’s linocut print Paradise Five (2012) features an umber coloured bird emerging from the dark background. Through employing his stylistically distinguishing flat colours and clean organic lines the elegant but simplified form emerges.
Natasha Law's signature semi-nudes work as snapshots of the intimate. She allows her forms to materialise through her descriptive lines and single blocks of colour. Law has become known for her figurative works of females often in an act of undress, provocatively capturing these fleeting moments of both vulnerability and intimacy.
Grayson Perry uses the medieval mappa mundi model to chart his beliefs and social commentary in Map of Nowhere (2008). In immense detail, he satirically comments on current events and the paraphernalia of modern life. From people praying to corporations to tabloid catch phrases strategically placed within the work, Perry utilises an antiquated craft to enlighten our contemporary world.
Keith Tyson’s prints are taken from his Studio Wall Drawings which he produced over the course of fifteen years. Together they present the artist’s journal, recording events, moods, ideas and people which entered his sphere of thinking throughout the years. Varying stylistically they act as a visual manifestation of a single expression of thought.
Jonathan Yeo’s latest limited edition prints feature portraits of Lily Cole and Helena Bonham Carter along with Silvio Berlusconi created in Yeo’s porn collage style. One of the most prominent portrait painters of our time, Yeo’s work has been widely exhibited internationally and is currently featured in a solo show at the Laing Gallery, Newcastle which runs until 5th February.
