‘Belladonna branding’, ‘The Cowboy Quit Smoking’ and ‘Gauloises’ by Charlotte Rose will be released exclusively with Enter Gallery at 9am on Thursday 2nd December. Sign up here to receive a release reminder straight to your inbox.
About Charlotte Rose
22-year-old self-taught artist, Charlotte Rose only started painting during the pandemic but has already held a sell-out solo show and been commissioned to create pieces for the likes of Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Yungblud.
Her first series of limited edition prints were released exclusively with Enter Gallery and proved popular with art collectors both online and visitors to our Brighton gallery.
Her next series of prints will be launching at Enter Gallery and continue her exploration into the juxtaposition of cigarette branding and cartoon characters.
We caught up with Charlotte about the new prints coming soon to Enter Gallery…
Tell us about your new series of prints coming soon to Enter Gallery.
Cigarette branding has historically been tied to Hollywood starlets and supermodels. It had become a part of the ideal image of nonchalant allure. The predominant way to advertise cigarettes was through sexuality and the chase, and ‘Belladonna Branding’ is a homage to that old Hollywood advertising. Comprised of vintage 1960/1970s magazine advertising and 23k gold leaf to represent the golden and luxurious days of smoking with the stars.
‘The Cowboy Quit Smoking’ features vintage magazine clippings of cigarette adverts from the 1950s-1980s. Marlboro often used the narrative of a Cowboy smoking to promote their brand. I chose magazine clippings that most eloquently depict the close ties between the American dream and cigarettes. How a particular brand of cigarettes became so synonymous with the ideal American image, and how something so terrible for health became a staple in every American home.
‘Gauloises’ is French nostalgia, this piece brings together the comic book characters Asterix and Obelix with the French cigarette brand Gauloises, both share inspiration from Hermes’ Helmet which is often characterised by the feeling of flying.
You turned to painting during lockdown to vent your frustration. How has life changed for you since you started creating art?
Every day I paint now, it’s all I want to do and it’s a lovely existence. I feel like the lockdown was a way to step back from distractions and return to the things I’ve always loved. I think painting and art will define the trajectory of my life and I’m really excited to see where it leads me.
You have an exhibition booked for April 2022. What can we expect to see from you in this new exhibition?
I’m moving away from just cigarette boxes and introducing some other types of branding. It’s important to keep a level of satire to my work so I’ve been working hard on thinking of different ways to subvert convention while keeping the same nostalgic feeling. I want to create an exhibition space that interacts with the artworks. I’m excited to share this new body of work.
Do you have any more projects in the pipeline?
Apart from the exhibition, not at the moment. I like to do things one at a time ticking them off in my head. So until April I’m focused on this exhibition.
Which celebrity home would you love to see your artwork hanging in?
I reckon Prince Harry would appreciate a cigarette box. What do you think he smokes? Parliament?
Being a fashion model, would you be tempted to have your print designs incorporated onto clothing or as part of a runway show?
For sure! I think that would be super interesting. I’m really enjoying the process of paint to wood at the moment but I’d love to explore the creative world of fashion too.
Which other artists do you admire?
I gravitate toward stuff like Keith Haring, I love Harland Miller and Basquait of course, I’m a big fan of Francis Bacon and recently I’ve done a deep dive on Hieronymus Bosch, super interesting stuff.
Charlotte Rose's new series of limited edition prints will be available here from 9am on Thursday 2nd December. Sign up here for a release reminder.
