On Thursday 25th April 2024, Enter Gallery came alive with the sights and sounds of punk as we launched, Jamie Reid: A Lifetime of Radical Gestures. With classic tracks blasting on the speakers, and incredible art from one of the biggest icons of the punk movement, this was one of Enter Gallery’s best events of the year so far.
We hope you were able to experience this exhibition for yourself. For those who missed it, today we’re sharing some memories of a truly special night spent celebrating one of Enter Gallery’s biggest inspirations.
A Lifetime of Radical Gestures
Anyone who knows art will know that Jamie Reid was one of the greats. Not only did his work with the Sex Pistols end up defining an entire subculture, but he spent his entire career at the forefront of culture, creating work that encouraged us to wake up, come together and fight for a better world.
Enter Gallery’s extensive exhibition brought together art from across his career, from works created for the Sex Pistols like Fuck Forever and the infamous God Save the Queen, to rarer pieces demonstrating his passion for Druidism, and promotional materials from his various international shows.
As an added touch, the show also featured an exhibition of over 50 vintage Xeroxes from Reid’s archive as featured in his book, Rogue Materials. On the night, this rare collection delighted diehard Reid fans. It gave them the opportunity to experience alternative versions of well-known works, and to get a closer look at how Reid used his iconic cutting and pasting technique to communicate radical ideas.
Friendly Insight
We were also fortunate to be joined on the night by Reid’s long-term friend and gallerist, John Marchant, who spoke candidly about how the pair came to work together.
John let us in on the charm and intelligence of this ‘true thinker and polymath’, and revealed how getting him to talk about the Sex Pistols was always an unpredictable game of ‘cat and mouse’ rather than a simple feat.
As well as talking us through Anarchy in the UK, 2024 – a new limited edition piece released exclusively at Enter Gallery especially for this show - Marchant revealed that a documentary is currently underway in collaboration with iconic director, Julien Temple. Also on its way is a new book about the life and times of Reid, due for release this summer.
You can watch the entire Q&A with John Marchant on Instagram
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