PRIVATE VIEW: WEDNESDAY 28TH NOVEMBER 7:30PM EXHIBITION: WEDNESDAY 28TH NOV – WEDNESDAY 5 DECEMBER and MONDAY 10 DECEMBER – SATURDAY 22 DECEMBER 2012, MON – SAT, 12 - 6pm
Ever since his early teens, Hove-based artist Billy Chainsaw has been fascinated by the unknown, in its myriad forms, along with masks and the magickal weirdness of the number 23. “X – More Than A Journey Into The Unknown” is the first in a series of shows inspired by this fascination.
Where do the unexpected portals lead?
Who are the ‘real’ people behind the masks?
This inaugural solo exhibition explores such questions via a collection of mixed media works… yet leaves the viewer to form their own conclusions.
“As a true legend in horror circles and someone with a curious eye for the darkest detail, it was just a matter of time before Mr Billy Chainsaw took a foray into creating his own twisted artworks. Clearly influenced by his love of the moving image, he has produced an innovative body of work that references everything from cartoon surrealism, tattoo art, 50s’ sleaze, trash art, pop art, William Burroughs and Lucha Libre, to the cinema of transgression. We are proud to emblazon the walls of the Horse Hospital for the month of December with a splendid solo exhibition of his inaugural work.” - ROGER K. BURTON (HORSE HOSPITAL ARTISTIC DIRECTOR)
Words from Billy Chainsaw’s patrons: “I am fascinated by Billy Chainsaw’s work for a variety of reasons, one of them being that it is not often someone draws a certain amount of inspiration from maestros such as Warhol, Basquiat, Rauschenberg etc. but manages to create something unique and fresh – adding themes and techniques not seen in this context before. He creates feasts of colour and content, while avoiding the clichés so often found in pop-inspired art.” - BILLIE RAY MARTIN (ELECTRIBE 101/DISCO ATAVISTO RECORDS)
“Billy Chainsaw’s artwork mixes the macabre with the innocent, creating a compulsive thrill which makes you keep going back to look at it. It has a nightmarish quality, like looking inside the mind of a frightened child, but a beauty in the juxtaposition of imagery and the graffiti-like rawness of execution. Despite the darkness of many of his themes, he always treats his subject matter with gentleness and a charming sense of humour.” - MATTHEW STRADLING (ARTIST)
Further information and images:
http://billychainsaw.blogspot.co.uk/