Major Edition Release & New Silhouette Unveiled
The first new silhouette to join Lhouette’s distinctive cast of powerful females in over 18 months ‘Firefly’ will make her debut as part of forthcoming collection ‘Swarm’. With a museum-level original available for acquisition alongside an international release of his highly coveted boutique editions.
Limited Edition mixed media on bespoke panel. With a black inner ornate varnished tray encased within an wooden black matte outer tray frame
Limited Edition mixed media on bespoke panel. With a black inner ornate varnished tray encased within an wooden black matte outer tray frame
Multi layered flyer style paper print pasted on to treated panel composition, hand embellished with aerosol and acrylic, coated high-gloss varnish. Set in a black gloss ornate tray combination.
Limited Edition mixed media on bespoke panel. With a black inner ornate varnished trayencased withinin a hand painted rainbow wooden outer frame.
Image Size: 270 x 136 cm / 106.29" x 53.54" Framed Size: 290 x 156 cm / 114.17" x 61.41"Multi layered flyer style paper print pasted on to treated panel composition, hand embellished with aerosol and acrylic, coated high-gloss varnish. Set in a black gloss ornate tray combination.
Aerosol, acrylic, gold gild & variegated petrol metallic gilded on treated and tiled panel / canvas composition, part coated high-gloss varnish. Set in a triple tiered frame combination; slim black inner tray, black gloss ornate middle frame and deep hand painted striped outer tray.
Image Size: 270 x 136 cm / 106.29" x 53.54" Framed Size: 290 x 156 cm / 114.17" x 61.41"THE FINAL INSTALLMENT
An electrifying buzz is emerging from Lhouette's studio; Swarm is here. With a museum-level original available for sale exclusively at Wyecliffe Galleries supported by an international release of his highly coveted boutique editions; Swarm reflects the extraordinary drive of Lhouette's artistic vision to create ever more thrilling and ambitious compositions.
The first new silhouette to join Lhouette's distinctive cast of powerful females in over 18 months Firefly makes her debut as part of the collection. Mirroring the winged symmetry of his iconic Angel Cake character, Firefly is a concept over two years in the design. Initially armed with deadly missiles in his early working drawings, Lhouette stripped her outline back and evolved her purpose to signify the re-opening of the world.
Reflective of our shared human experience of the last 12 months, Lhouette considers Swarm to be the final instalment of a collection of works centred around his observations of the global pandemic. Formed to enliven conversation and generate rhetoric, all three connecting titles Knight Nurse, Show Me Something Real and now Swarm delve into the action, perception and reality of a world forced to lock-down.
Beneath the surface of colourful cultural references including DC comics Superman and American beverage giant Coca Cola, belies the symbols and rules of our new reality. Clasped by a blue-gloved hand, iconic fragrance Chanel No.5 is transformed into a vial to be administered; the race to produce and roll out a vaccine entangled in preserving life and modern economy alike. With vanitas overtones, an apple core is plastered with the slogan “An apple a day”; representing our daily personal efforts to keep the doctor away, the idiom has never been more apt. The countdown to freedom is presented as a calendar, and X-Men's Science Mutants a nod to the evolving strains of the virus.
Swarm Boutique Edition
Swarm Boutique Edition
Knight Nurse
Show Me Something Real
An electrifying buzz is emerging from Lhouette's studio; Swarm is here. With a museum-level original available for sale exclusively at Wyecliffe Galleries supported by an international release of his highly coveted boutique editions; Swarm reflects the extraordinary drive of Lhouette's artistic vision to create ever more thrilling and ambitious compositions.
The first new silhouette to join Lhouette's distinctive cast of powerful females in over 18 months Firefly makes her debut as part of the collection. Mirroring the winged symmetry of his iconic Angel Cake character, Firefly is a concept over two years in the design. Initially armed with deadly missiles in his early working drawings, Lhouette stripped her outline back and evolved her purpose to signify the re-opening of the world.
Swarm Boutique Edition
Swarm Boutique Edition
Knight Nurse
Show Me Something Real
Reflective of our shared human experience of the last 12 months, Lhouette considers Swarm to be the final instalment of a collection of works centred around his observations of the global pandemic. Formed to enliven conversation and generate rhetoric, all three connecting titles Knight Nurse, Show Me Something Real and now Swarm delve into the action, perception and reality of a world forced to lock-down.
Beneath the surface of colourful cultural references including DC comics Superman and American beverage giant Coca Cola, belies the symbols and rules of our new reality. Clasped by a blue-gloved hand, iconic fragrance Chanel No.5 is transformed into a vial to be administered; the race to produce and roll out a vaccine entangled in preserving life and modern economy alike. With vanitas overtones, an apple core is plastered with the slogan “An apple a day”; representing our daily personal efforts to keep the doctor away, the idiom has never been more apt. The countdown to freedom is presented as a calendar, and X-Men’s Science Mutants a nod to the evolving strains of the virus.
Offering a social commentary on the visual signposts that we have become all too-familiar with, the resulting effect is a billboard-esque original composition advertising a post-pandemic version of reality. The first time Lhouette has united two renowned areas of his studio practice, Swarm combines the artist’s signature pop maximalist style of brands and collage with his brand new, distinctive female silhouette Firefly. The title itself a reference to the re-opening of society - we are beginning to move in great numbers once again; empty streets replaced by buzzing crowds and impatient queues are keen to get their retail fix.
Surrounding the central composition are 36 individual panels featuring Fireflyin alternating colour combinations – a nod to the repetition of imagery made famous by Pop Art. Described by the artist as “A true mix of fine art painting and pop art practice”, this landmark original work measuring almost 3 meters wide is a true clash of these two creative ideologies. Enriched with months of dedicated preparatory work, the planning and making of this modern masterpiece is at odds with the usually quick or manufactured practises of the 20th Century Pop Art Movement spearheaded by Andy Warhol's infamous New York based Factory. The artist notes that 'decoration' is often a dirty word in the art world, though he relishes the chance to be “unapologetically decorative”; citing the ethos behind Grayson Perry's Turner Prize winning ceramics as an influencing notion.
Placed within a multi-layered frame, the surround is an important part of the visual. A heritage ornate frame transformed by a sleek black gloss finish is set within a hand painted striped outer rim which is visible when viewed from the side. Lhouette plays with frame stylings borrowed from centuries old masterpieces, as well as Peter Blake's early Pop Art pieces. An artist with an exceptional understanding of not only the languages of art history and global culture, but for the application of artistic materials has resulted in innovation in both original work and boutique limited edition.
Rendered in opulent golds, the seminal original of Swarm harnesses Lhouette's ongoing aesthetic choice to place the raw with the refined. Distressing and reworking the panels to build a richness of pigment many layers deep, the surrounding tiles are embossed and gilded in metallics with his new Fireflyemblem. An international boutique edition of just 25 pieces plus 5 Artist Proofs, the contrast in interpretation is striking. Re-imagined with black and white silhouettes on the alternating blocks surrounding the work, the edition offers collectors a dramatic visual in monochromes at a more compact scale. An XL Deluxe edition of Swarm and the very first wall-sculpture featuring Firefly are promised for later in the Spring.
As the world steps towards the recovery and reconciliation of 12 months of lockdowns and separation, Lhouette's poignant and intelligent artistic commentary on the shifting moods of our society will long outlast the restrictions we have endured. New silhouette Firefly joins an armoury of idiosyncratic characters each of whom embody allegorical-like roles in the artist's visual vocabulary.
Lhouette's position at the forefront of the contemporary pop art movement is unparalleled; with Swarm looking set to make its mark in history as part of this unique trilogy of titles.
Wyecliffe Galleries has been the artist's official international representative for over a decade. Enquiries are welcomed on +44 (0) 1932 947939 or at info@wyecliffe.com.
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