‘Post Brexit Anixiety And Depression’
Solo Exhibition
The Social, London / Gallery Simpson, Swansea / 2019
Using Art As A Visual Protest
Mark James’ new exhibition at GS Artists in Swansea vents his feelings about Brexit, writes Jenny White…
EVEN if you’re not familiar with Mark James as an artist, you have probably seen his graphic design work.
His branding for Cardiff-based Dirty Bird fried chicken went viral in 2014 after people claimed to be shocked by the “phallic” imagery, and in 2016 media news outlet The Drum featured it as one of the most controversial logos of all time.
This represents one aspect of James’ work. An artist and graphic designer straddling art, music, fashion and film, his CV encompasses art direction, video direction, product design and more.
His conceptual work is inspired by a mix of popular culture and social commentary, as is evident in his latest exhibition, running at GS Artists on Swansea’s High Street.
Titled Post-Brexit Anxiety and Depression, the show features a collection of potent, angry posters printed on newspaper paper - works made response to the 2016 referendum result as a form of therapy and protest.
“On June 24, 2016, I found myself, along with many others, in a deep state of shock” he says. “The UK had voted to leave the EU. I struggled to come to terms with the idea of how gullible and selfish people could be.
I felt an overwhelming sense of grief. I started making notes, writing statements, protest art, collages and so on. A lot of it was filed away. Making images and working with typography helped release the frustration I was feeling”
The work draws on diverse influences, ranging from Robert Indiana’s HOPE piece (reimagined here as deflated balloons) to James’ personal design hero Barney Bubbles. His decision to print the bulk of the work on newspaper is an accusatory nod to the media.
“It represents the lies people have been fed over the past few years,” he says. “There are two large black bins with ‘Dreams’ and ‘Ambition’ written on them, which is the centre piece of the show.
“The idea is that people can write down their dreams or ambitions and put them in the bin. Whichever way you voted in that referendum, people’s dreams and ambitions have now been taken away.”
