Derek Boshier – Icarus and K Pop at Gazelli Art House – Where were we? After that ridiculously early morning call to Cork Street (and the bitching about it in the gallery next door), the question was was Gazelli Art House open at this ungodly hour of the morning? Really want to see those Derek Boshier paintings in the flesh, it was one of recommendations earlier this week. We’ve been to a  private view and the three or four spaces that were open, I still don’t know why that Cork Street thing had to happen at 9am? Only just gone 10am, who gallery crawls at this ungodly hour? Thankfully Gazelli opens at ten and we’ve got the space to ourselves. 

The gallery tell us they are “pleased to present a solo exhibition of new works by British- born, Los Angeles-based artist Derek Boshier”. When you look at these things on-line you never, even when the measurements are there, get a real sense of scale or ambition, pleased to see these are substantial paintings both in terms of size and content. Love the use of colour, love  Icarus and his Political Republican Friends, a painting from 2020 .

“Blending Greek mythology with South Korean mainstream entertainment, Icarus and K Pop features two series made of vibrant acrylic paintings on canvas as well as black and white drawings on paper. Continuing the artist’s exploration into the function of images, the show orchestrates an unlikely conversation between consumerist imagery, cartoon-like motifs, and pencil renditions of 19th – century paintings including William Blake’s The Ghost of a Flea and Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People. The exhibition offers a critical and playful commentary on global contemporary culture…”

The paintings are the things that grab rather than the drawings, the Special K humour, the bold colour, the attitude. Derek Boshier is still an interesting exciting artist. One of the early British Pop Artists – he was part of that infamous Ken Russell Pop Goes the Easel film back at the start of it all, now in his 80’s and still very much a current artists taking on current things (rather than just referencing the fact that he’s worked with Bowie – he did the cover for Lodger – The Clash, The Pretty things and more). These new paintings looked exciting on line, they really come to life in the flesh, there’s a sense of situation, time, place. Feels good in the room with them all, this is now, there’s a (dark?) humour to it, these painting are playful, almost punk-edged, K-Pop fuelled and very much tuned in. This is what we want at 10am on a Thursday morning, art excites, painting excites, that line where sea meats sky excites, the style excites, pop excites, one of the original pop artists playing with K-pop’s now excites. One with it all, on with it all! (sw)

Gazelli Art House is right in the middle of it all in Mayfair, find it at 39 Dover Street, London W1S 4NN. The show runs from the 7th october until 14th November. Check the gallery website for talks and book signings. he has produced a book for the show…

As always, click on an image to enlarge or run the slide show

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