Filthy & Faded by Ben Allen
I've taken a greater interest in Pop Art over the past few years, and in particular multimedia / collage work. I'd recommend anyone interested get to a gallery and see it up close to better appreciate it.
I can hardly believe it's been some fourteen months since I last visited the Westbank Gallery to view Sex • Pop • Vandal by Ben Allen. Spanning adult, superhero and anime themes with vivacious colour and often risque composition, works like Nude Graffiti, Lady Luck Gold Icon, SUPERWONDER and PEACHY are delightfully infixed in my memory. Sadly so is the grief of not having purchased one of the affordable Mickey Money works when I had a chance.
Meeting up with my buddy Mel and attending tonight's private view of Ben's latest show Filthy & Faded should cheer me up.
Details below via the Westbank Gallery event page on Facebook.
With the sun shining and the promise of another exotic cocktail of graffiti, street, graphic and pop art (see below teaser) Filthy & Faded should draw a big crowd this evening. Unlike tonight's Arsenal game against West Brom at the Emirates... #COYG
-Bossman75
Filthy and Faded pays homage to Allen’s creative roots, his love of pin- ups along with his commitment to experimentation with texture, shape and colour. The multilayered textural abstract backgrounds are inspired by his fascination with the weathered and torn posters which ornate the walls of most urban landscapes.
The show includes bodies of work on canvas ranging from small to larger than life. Some works echo Ben’s love for superheroes, with original pages applied to the works from his personal collection of Avengers comics.
The name Filthy and Faded was inspired by its creative process. Allen went to great lengths to collect billboard paper to give his work fitting textures. Ben will also be releasing a show print that uniquely mixes colourful giclee and screen-print with hand embellished second-hand billboards.
Ben’s unusual, experimental style pays ode to the past and the future alike. He continues to keep the art community on their feet and wanting more by breaking convention.
With the sun shining and the promise of another exotic cocktail of graffiti, street, graphic and pop art (see below teaser) Filthy & Faded should draw a big crowd this evening. Unlike tonight's Arsenal game against West Brom at the Emirates... #COYG
-Bossman75