Each with individual charisma, collectors have come to expect nothing less than boutique works so hand-crafted and re-invented with every piece it feels as though there should be a term much better than ‘edition’ to describe them. Exhibiting possibly the most tenacious commitment to challenging the dated terminology associated with the art world, Lhouette’s art seeks to collapse the boundaries between original and print. With XL1 – XL5 featuring a different brand seamlessly enclosed within a resin-drenched, vintage-fabric centre panel, a bespoke hand painted frame and a unique metallic leaf finished palette, every portrait is brought to life with an exceptional new interpretation.

Perhaps it is unsurprising for an artist whose previous career saw him spend years travelling the world serving in the Royal Navy, the notion of defence has fascinated Lhouette for years. As part of his lexicon of characters taking form most recently in the medium of wall sculptures, deadly females are poised and armed. Many collectors have referenced that his iconic Angel Cake proudly graces their walls, a powerful talisman that protects their home.

At its very essence, the ideas within Guard Duty organically emerged as the artist drafted his sentinel. A stunning model from the Far East, as with so many of his portrait works Lhouette found her features within one of his vast collection of vintage magazines. Re-plotting them with stencil and spray paint she has been re-cast as an artistic muse of the urban scene. A lampshade adorns her face, hanging almost as jewellery or a head piece, perhaps a small nod to her fashion-based origins. With an enjoyment for subverting natural assumptions, Guard Duty is the ultimate in ambiguous and provocative titles – is she the guardian, or is she being guarded?

Aside from the fantasy of a lycra-clad saviour from the world of DC or Marvel, the idea of guardianship is further enforced in the black and white portraits of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip; British Royalty as they were in their youth, buoyant with service and duty. Lhouette is a connoisseur of weaving cultural narratives from the technicolour pages of comic books to the Golden Age of a British Institution, and from the heritage of French haute couture to the philosophies of the Far East. Uniting them to communicate thought provoking ideas which elevate not only Guard Duty but his entire catalogue from visually outstanding works executed with hand-crafted brilliance, to true fine art with a layered depth of meaning.

Each with individual charisma, collectors have come to expect nothing less than boutique works so hand-crafted and re-invented with every piece it feels as though there should be a term much better than ‘edition’ to describe them. Exhibiting possibly the most tenacious commitment to challenging the dated terminology associated with the art world, Lhouette’s art seeks to collapse the boundaries between original and print. With XL1 – XL5 featuring a different brand seamlessly enclosed within a resin-drenched, vintage-fabric centre panel, a bespoke hand painted frame and a unique metallic leaf finished palette, every portrait is brought to life with an exceptional new interpretation.

Perhaps it is unsurprising for an artist whose previous career saw him spend years travelling the world serving in the Royal Navy, the notion of defence has fascinated Lhouette for years. As part of his lexicon of characters taking form most recently in the medium of wall sculptures, deadly females are poised and armed. Many collectors have referenced that his iconic Angel Cake proudly graces their walls, a powerful talisman that protects their home.

At its very essence, the ideas within Guard Duty organically emerged as the artist drafted his sentinel. A stunning model from the Far East, as with so many of his portrait works Lhouette found her features within one of his vast collection of vintage magazines. Re-plotting them with stencil and spray paint she has been re-cast as an artistic muse of the urban scene. A lampshade adorns her face, hanging almost as jewellery or a head piece, perhaps a small nod to her fashion-based origins. With an enjoyment for subverting natural assumptions, Guard Duty is the ultimate in ambiguous and provocative titles – is she the guardian, or is she being guarded?

Aside from the fantasy of a lycra-clad saviour from the world of DC or Marvel, the idea of guardianship is further enforced in the black and white portraits of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip; British Royalty as they were in their youth, buoyant with service and duty. Lhouette is a connoisseur of weaving cultural narratives from the technicolour pages of comic books to the Golden Age of a British Institution, and from the heritage of French haute couture to the philosophies of the Far East. Uniting them to communicate thought provoking ideas which elevate not only Guard Duty but his entire catalogue from visually outstanding works executed with hand-crafted brilliance, to true fine art with a layered depth of meaning.

Building upon Broken Promises, a seminal collection of originals supported by a deluxe edition range that sold so fast they barely graced the walls of our galleries for a day, Lhouette introduces the jagged edges of shattered OSB which worked so successfully in its predecessor, to this fresh edition series. A case cast in engineered wood, the man-made texture is the perfect playground and surface to adhere torn decoupage paper upon. Destroying and carefully reconstructing his montaged pop compositions, the exposed white edges of the torn paper have become vital visual touchstones throughout the artist’s portfolio. Subtly referencing multi-pasted, weather-worn advertising placards, Lhouette continues to weave elegant references to some of his earliest works from over a decade ago inspired by cinema billboards.

Akin to unearthing a precious jewel in the rough, Lhouette plays with the most desirable worldly materials that are steeped with century old desire and furnishes them across raw and salvaged timber. Golden leaf, greenstone-jade and rich bronze have all been carefully applied to the lower section of wooden pallet and glint enticingly beneath the collage coated broken fragments above. As well as being a cultural magpie, Lhouette appropriates the meaning of materials enriching his works with their history. A collision of dates and places, collectors are ambushed with a tactile journey that takes them from the exposed beams of a long-abandoned interior to the riches of the Shanghai Gold Exchange.  Guard Duty is the epitome of combining the most valued and luxurious, along with the discarded or lost.

Exclusively available at Wyecliffe Galleries Guard Duty joins the ranks of previous deluxe XL editions Mass McQueen, Attachment Issues and Broken Promises as statement acquisitions which take centre stage of both collection and home.

Please contact us on 01932 847939 or info@wyecliffe.com for further information.

Exclusively available at Wyecliffe Galleries Guard Duty joins the ranks of previous deluxe XL editions Mass McQueen, Attachment Issues and Broken Promises as statement acquisitions which take centre stage of both collection and home.

Please contact us on 01932 847939 or info@wyecliffe.com for further information.