Queen of Hoxton. Photo: Queen of Hoxton.
The Queen of Hoxton’s bricks and mortar will once again be unveiled as a semi-permanent exhibition when it officially launches on September 26 for all to enjoy.
Invited by the Queen of Hoxton, Adam Smith, Alex Smith, Animaux Circus, Jamie Burbidge, Kerry Hughes, Rob Whoriskey and Tom Baxter will redesign the exterior and interior walls of the venue.
Vividly illustrated monochrome murals with splashes of the Queen of Hoxton’s in-house colours and giant multi-coloured characters and surreal paintings will fill the space.
Kerry Hughes will be putting her own spin on the Queen of Hoxton’s logo creating a 3D typographic piece using pixilation, and Animaux Circus’ murals will evolve throughout the venue, taking you on a journey with 3 God-like creatures ending in a finale on the rooftop.
This launch is also one of the last nights to check out the rooftop until it’s turned into its winter incarnation the ‘WigWamBam!’.
Below are brief biographies of some of the artists and examples of their work:
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- Adam Smith is inspired by the New Forest landscape that formed the backdrop to his formative years; and driven by his personal perspective on the nature of dystopia. Working in ink he paints large and arresting projections of his dystopian ideas. Thus, his recent work is a striking mix of disembodied profiles that depict those close to him, and of skewed landscapes, within which can be found alien ‘heads on sticks’. The pictures signal a relentless regression in both human behaviour and the well-being of the environment, with body parts and half-realised animals populating a barren heathland. The landscape of itself constitutes a dark, distorted, and disturbing narrative. Adam Smith is a 27-year-old London-based artist, illustrator, sign-painter and metal fabricator. Since completing an MA at Central St Martins, he has exhibited at Lazarides Gallery, and combined his own studio work with the installation at home and abroad of major projects in conceptual art. (http://www.adamilex.com)
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- Animaux Circus are a design studio created by Rory Elphick, Margaux Carpentier and Lana Hughes specialising in large scale illustration, mural and sign painting. A mutual love of the animal kingdom, folk tales and shiny spray paint cans brought the three together, later leading them to creating bold and brightly coloured tales of their own. They can be found either in their studio in Stoke Newington, London, or out and about in the wilderness leaving their mark and populating the world with eccentric creatures and typography. Their recent projects include painting spaces for the Hoxton window project, Monorex’s 9th birthday celebrations, the Living Furniture Project, Elmo at the William Morris gallery, the Shoreditch Art Walls, as well as spraying many more cars and secret locations around the city or high up in the mountains. (http://www.animauxcircus.co.uk)
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- Kerry Hughes is a London-based prop maker and set designer, working with a keen eye for detail and a range of handcrafted techniques. Inspired by a multitude of subjects such as geometry, architecture and caffeine, she enjoys experimenting with colour, lighting, shapes and space to infuse her work with a sense of playfulness and spectacle. Hughes creates anything from props for window displays and television advertising to print campaigns and editorial, for clients including Channel 4, Fabric, The Independent and Liberty of London. (http://www.kerryhughes.co.uk)
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- Rob Whoriskey is an Irish born illustrator and visual artist living in London. Previously he’s worked with Oki-Ni, Jaguar Shoes, Bleach London, Art Wednesday, Fred Perry, Urban Outfitters and collaborated with Christopher Shannon on his AW11 collection. His first solo exhibition ‘Oyster Flesh’ is being shown at the Printhouse Gallery in Dalston and he is currently working closely with Jameson Whiskey. (http://robwhoriskey.tumblr.com)
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- Tom Baxter is a London-based illustrator. His work is renowned for its detailed precision and spans the fields of design, fashion and music. Baxter trained at Westminster University and has since worked with a number of editorial and commercial clients including AnOther Magazine, i-D Magazine and Eudon Choi, whom he created a series of illustrated headscarves in collaboration with milliner Piers Atkinson for A/W13. Since 2011, Baxter has been resident illustrator for anothermag.com, working on a series of commissions including his celebrated Fashion Equations. (http://www.tom-baxter.com)
The opening night is on Thursday September 26, 6:00pm – 2:00am, with DJs gracing the stage from 8pm. Please see their Facebook Events Page for more details.
