From Friday 1st June, Britains most belligerent artist Ian Stevenson will desecrate the walls of The Outsiders Newcastle this Summer at Made in Broken Britain. In a field dominated by adherents to faddish styles – illustrators whose work looks the same as other illustrators – Ians distinctive approach, which no-one could hope or perhaps want to copy, demands more attention than a Jewish princess whose father walked out on the household during her early childhood.
Described by industry bible Creative Review as “Brilliant, visually striking, with a twisted sense of fun and what can only be described as a ridiculous sense of menace,” Ians surprisingly popular work has become a rallying point for slightly bitter people who struggle to take anything seriously. High-concept slogan artist Anthony Burrill says of Ian, “He draws familiar things, twisted and distorted beyond reasonable levels. His characters live in peril, the atmosphere is dark and unsettling. The colours are bright, but not in a cheery way. I dont know why Ian draws like this, nobody asked him to.” But with numerous exhibitions, animations and books to his name, not to mention zeitgeist-figure status in the advertising world, Ians work ultimately makes the viewer laugh using a combination of words and imagery.
The Made in Broken Britain exhibition explores the merciless self-consciousness of modern life with sculptures of aging superheroes that can no longer help us, toy Police cars with their wheels stolen, a smashed up riot van, public signage and celebrity photos with their tact and sheen buffed away, plus a sign saying Please Wait Here Until You Are Useful, Thank You, he's only just started shouting at everyone and he's got plenty more to say.
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