Having hosted his debut solo presentation Art De Populaire in 2014, the artist has received considerable recognition ranging from estimate-smashing success in auction at Sotheby’s, London alongside a 4-month residency with The Dorchester Collection. His work has featured for secondary market appraisal by Wyecliffe’s team on Channel 4 series Posh Pawn, alongside numerous other accredited appearances on TV networks from NBC to the BBC. Taking advantage of Wyecliffe’s impressive studio and triple gallery space, subsequent sell-out exhibitions Video Heaven and Attachment Issues have further driven the artists’ already cemented status as the leading urban artist of his generation.
Lhouette first drew inspiration from East London’s street art scene and was strongly influenced by the way it was a self-taught art form. A cultural magpie, Lhouette singles out the universal touchstones of society, selecting references from the 20th and 21st centuries to re-imagine them with his eponymous ‘Lhouette Language’. Luxury brands, stars of the golden age of cinema and slogan-typefaces from the Far East all appear as part of his pop collage designs. A commentary on the visual assault of modern advertising and vast choices available in modern society from global cuisine to television channel, Lhouette critiques and challenges our way of life.
Injecting his experiences of foreign culture accumulated during his time within British Navy into every composition, the artist travelled to 21 countries over a four-year period: all before the age of twenty-one. While at sea Lhouette created scrapbooks, curating postcards, souvenirs and his own doodles. Surrounded by different cultures and colours, inspiration from these travels can be seen in his work with contrasts between the familiar and unfamiliar, adverts that were instantly recognisable through their imagery but was distinctly ‘other’ through the foreign languages.
A trademark fusion of gritty urban street art and Warhol-esque pop culture iconography creates a striking binary between the old and new and the raw and the refined, remaining a major concept inherent in his work. Dedicated to a tactile experience for the eye, Lhouette sources materials from salvage yards, preferring the authentic nature of material that has been worn with age. Wooden pallets upcycled cable and oil drums are the perfect surfaces for his wall art and rarer fine art furniture such as his iconic coffee tables. His practice has also born ground-breaking wall-sculptures featuring his cast of assured female figures; from Angel Cake to Little Miss Sunshine; each assumes a character combining innocence and power in their subversive brightly coloured silhouettes.
Further driving forward with pioneering artistic techniques, Lhouette has challenged the status quo of what a limited edition can be. Presenting his hybrid boutique works, many feature hand-worked and unique options from bespoke branded panels to individually hand-painted frames. Lhouette’s vast imagination has illuminated the art world with his distinct Pop Maximalist philosophy and technical flair, producing accomplished works which contribute to the cutting-edge urban art scene.
A partnership built on mutual respect and creative ambition; Wyecliffe Galleries is privileged to have supported Lhouette’s artistic career for nearly a decade. Browse his extensive collections below.
