Last year, the world bid goodbye to Jamie Reid – an iconic artist that Enter Gallery have proudly enjoyed a long and inspiring relationship with over just a couple of the decades of his incredible 50-year career.
We are honouring Jamie Reid with an exhibition in collaboration with John Marchant Gallery and The Arcova Trust at Enter Gallery from April 25th until 1st May, and we’d love to see you there.
About Jamie Reid
Jamie Reid may be best known for his work alongside Malcolm McLaren as the Art Director for the Sex Pistols, and for shoving a safety pin through Queen Elizabeth II’s lip, but his career extended far beyond those years rubbing shoulders with Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten.
From his days at Croydon Art School, right up to the final pieces of work he created, Reid spent his entire artistic career fighting to expose inequality and preserve personal freedoms. Whether supporting the likes of Pussy Riot and Extinction Rebellion, or rallying against laws that stripped rights from the common man, Reid showed us time and again the strength of art when it comes to speaking truth to power.
Honouring an Icon
Jamie Reid - A Lifetime of Radical Gestures kicks off on Thursday April 25th, and will be on display until Friday 1st May.
The show has been specially-curated alongside Reid’s gallerist, John Marchant, who famously and wonderfully once described Reid as, ‘an anarchist, punk, hippie, shit-stirring rebel and romantic.’
To capture Reid’s prolific output and the breadth of topics that captured his artistic imagination, the show will feature a rare collection of his works dating from the 1970s to 2023.
The Life and Times
Also on display, will be a sequence of over 50 vintage Xerox's from Jamie's archive as featured in Reid's book, Rogue Materials. The collection documents alternative versions and associated visuals to many well known works and illustrates 50 years of Jamie's experimentation with the copying, cutting and pasting method used to communicate radical ideas at rapid speed, that would come to define punk's visual language.
Whether you’re a diehard fan, or curious to know more about this punk icon, this exhibition will educate and enlighten, showing you all the reasons why they just don’t make them like Jamie Reid anymore!
Anarchy in the UK
Back in 1976, Reid created what would go on to be one of the most defining images of his career – the cover art for the Sex Pistols record, Anarchy in the UK.
The artwork featured a shredded Union Jack, held together by the safety pins that defined the punk era. The title of the record was depicted in the ransom-style, cut out lettering that we’ve seen Reid use time again, from early works like Fuck Forever, to more recent pieces, like Bloody Empire.
To coincide with the show, we’re launching a brand new release of Reid’s Anarchy in the UK flag. Approved by Reid and his foundation before he passed away, this is one of Reid’s final releases.
If you’d like to be notified when this limited edition print is being released then sign up to our newsletter.
Join us at the Private View
As this is a celebration of an incredible life, it’s only fitting to kick things off with a party. Join us at our Private View from 5-8pm on Thursday 25th April at Enter Gallery, Bond Street, Brighton.
As well as being able to experience the artworks, and learn about Reid via the exhibition, John Marchant will be speaking on the night about Reid’s life and career.
RSVP to join us at the Private View.
