Black History Exhibition 2010!

These images were initially created for Black History month in Southampton, 2009.

In that year they were showcased in and around the Uni, in magazines and behind artists in a Jools Holland-esque live show. This in itself was great but I got the call not so long ago that they wanted to put it up as a stand alone exhibition through Southampton's Milais Gallery in Southampton Solents main Concourse gallery.

A bit of background on the project, it was a collaboration between me and Ryan Gillet, a talented and sharply dressed illustrator based in Brighton.  I sent him very large A1 black and white ink drawings and he crafted them into the colourful works you see below. ( He really did do a great job!)

We were at first asked to come up with our own 

Black Icons so immediately I thought it would be all the more relevant to find those unsung Heroes who were English (if not local to Hampshire.) We got a few in such as "Walter Tull" - the first black officer and "Bernie Grant" - one of only 3 black MPs of his time who was by all accounts a superb campaigner against all forms of racism.

In the end we were given a list of more well known icons...

Still, a nice load of great people there's no arguing against that.

We got a pretty nice book made out of the show

We even got a flipping banner!

Its over...

Fuck, I graduated...

It begins...

I have a lot to get through here really. Im a bit new to blogging and so is my PC apparently as "Blogging" is not recognised as a word, Ill correct that now methinks. Rather than rambling on which is so far seeming pretty easy in a blog ill make a start. A good place to begin with I think would be my Degree shows in Southampton and London

 First off... Southy!

This was a bit of a pop up gallery in a central shopping centre.

It was a lot of fun really as we all had a lot of space to work with and really make it your own. My theme was a Horror Barbershop and was based around a series of short stories and posters revolving around characters such as "Donny Vomit",

"Heather Heartache", "William Howell" and "Bony Tony"!

The front of the shop here with me taking up the left hand window.

Complete with REAL HAIR, that bit was pretty gross actually, it stuck together in 

what can only be described as a sort of regurgitated wig. 

I owe the excellent, if eccentric, Illustrator Christopher Todds for most of this really, he was my handy man and the bringer of hair.

Poster I designed advertising the Southampton show.

The London exhibition now, this showcased in the "Coningsby Gallery" just off

Tottenham Court Road

http://www.coningsbygallery.com/

It was a fun little gallery with all sorts of weird angles and lots of character, I got a bit of window space sharing with Ben Evenett

Iron scissors on display there, I tried to make them as tortured as possible. In the background you can see a selection of haircuts available at "Curl Up and Dye".

He was once a man, but now a broom...

Some posters...

 

and again...

  

See! Nice little gallery

There I am, having a good old pose. I really enjoyed being a part of this show, it was a fantastic experience.