On Friday 9th September, Enter Gallery is holding our highly-anticipated Rare Print Show - one of the hottest tickets on the Brighton art events schedule.
During the show, we throw open the door to our archives, giving art lovers an exceptional opportunity to purchase rare, and highly-collectible pieces from some of the world’s most esteemed artists.
In today’s blog, we’re providing a sneak peek at some of the artworks included to give you a taster of what to expect.
RSVP here to secure your ticket.
Michael Craig Martin - Intimate Relations II
Michael Craig-Martin is one of Britain's leading exponents of Pop Art. His aesthetic is instantly-recognisable, with flat forms and bright clashing colours uniting to depict everyday consumer objects. Speaking of his work, Craig Martin states:
“When we try to understand past civilisations – the stone age, ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, the Aztecs – we do so by examining the objects they created and used. My work is like an archaeology of the present.”
Intimate Relations II, 2021 is a rare set of three prints, Steering Wheel, Corkscrew and Trainer, designed as a triptych. From a small limited edition of 30, the set of silkscreen prints are signed and numbered by Craig-Martin.
Such A Sad Time - Lucy Sparrow
Lucy Sparrow’s cute and cuddly felt sculptures are an exploration of human need and desire. Whether she’s exploring sex, health, violence or consumerism, her compelling work is an inspired comment on the commodity culture of modern times.
For Such A Sad Time, Sparrow has stocked her cabinet full of the kinds of snacks you pick up at a convenience store. By crafting her items, which include tinned macaroni cheese, corned beef and Cheez Whiz, from felt, Sparrow offers her own modern take on Pop Art portrayals of consumer goods.
From a limited edition of 50, the piece is signed by Sparrow and comes with a certificate of authenticity.
Dora Maar Au Chat – Madsaki
Madsaki is a renowned Japanese artist, best known for using spray paint as a fine art medium in his recreations of paintings by the old masters.
Hailing from his sought-after Wannabie’s series, Dora Maar Au Chat is Madsaki’s reimaging of Pablo Picasso’s 1941 portrait of the same name, which captured his then lover, Dora Maar, with her cat perched on her shoulder.
With his paintings regularly fetching six figures on the secondary market, this piece is a rare chance to own something by Madsaki.
Riot Cop – Shepard Fairey AKA Obey
Over the course of his rise to prominence on the international street art scene, Shepard Fairey AKA Obey has tackled subjects ranging from political corruption and propaganda to surveillance society.
Best known for his Andre the Giant Has a Posse posters, stickers and murals that emerged in the 1990s, and his iconic 2008 Hope campaign poster for Barack Obama, Obey’s work has sold for six figures and can be found in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, the MOMA in New York and the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C.
In Riot Cop, Obey tackles the ongoing problem of police brutality and lack of accountability. The original limited edition release of 600 sold out in a matter of minutes, and now you have a chance to get your hands on this rare piece.
Propeller - Leda Catunda
Brazilian artist, Leda Catunda, is a master painter, sculptor, graphic artist and educator whose work comments on consumerism, popular culture, taste and the idea of belonging.
Propeller is from her coveted 2014 Projecto Nightclub series – a series of eight vibrant polymer-gravure block prints inspired by the vibrancy and life of dancefloors and nightclubs. This piece is from a small limited edition of 10, signed by the artist.
Kai and Sunny
Through their mesmerising hand-drawn line work, UK artistic duo, Kai and Sunny, explore the concept of change. Their dynamic artworks are characterised by lines that push and pull against each other, creating pieces that exist in an exciting state of flux.
Moon Always Shining by Kai and Sunny.
The duo's work has won them multiple awards, and had led to high-profile collaborations with the likes of Alexander McQueen, author David Mitchell, and fellow Rare Print Show artist, Shepard Fairey aka Obey who, speaking of the duo, surmised, "The idea that such sophisticated and detailed pieces are executed by hand is mind-blowing."
Chris Levine
Chris Levine is a UK-based artist who works in the fascinating field of light art. His multi-disciplinary practice involves harnessing a diverse array of technology to explore the ways in which light is vital to human existence.
Levine has worked with collaborators as far-ranging as Mario Testino and Grace Jones, to The Eden Project, but it is his portraits of Queen Elizabeth II – Lightness of Being and Equanimity – that are most well-known.
Mr Brainwash
Mr Brainwash is a French street artist who rose to fame in Exit Through the Gift Shop – the 2010 Oscar-nominated documentary, directed by Banksy. Brainwash’s art is referred to as a ‘collision of street art and pop art’, and typically involves cultural and contemporary icons. His work is aligned with the artistic intentions of the original pop artists, like Warhol and Haring, in that he produces art for everyone that can be experienced anywhere.
Obama Superman. More info here.
Over the years, Brainwash has perplexed the art world with whether he is a legit artist or just a publicity stunt manufactured by Banksy. In the end, his art has spoken for itself. A pink version of the Charlie Chaplin piece seen here, portraying Chaplin as a street artist, featured in Exit Through the Gift Shop, and sold for $122,500, almost $50,000 more than was expected.
Join us on Friday 9th September between 6-8pm at Enter Gallery on Bond Street, Brighton, to enjoy a rare glimpse at these priceless artworks over a glass of bubbly. RSVP here.
