Jerkface: Taking the Art World by Saturday Morning Storm

Jerkface: Taking the Art World by Saturday Morning Storm

For the next twelve days, Maddox Gallery in London will be the home of New York’s own pop art phenomenon “Jerkface”. The cartoonist and painter has taken over the museum in a completely immersive experience with his latest collection of reimagined childhood icons entitled Villainy. This exhibition debuts his first solo show in the United Kingdom. So—who is this artist that has grown to be one of the most controversial and collectible in the world? Who is Jerkface?

Villainy art collection by Jerkface, London, UK

BACKGROUND

Very little is known about Jerkface—he has always elected to remain an anonymous artist known only for his playful pseudonym. Born and based in Brooklyn, New York, he first found success on the East Coast and has since graduated to international popularity, headlining exhibitions in New York, Hong Kong, and now the United Kingdom. His murals decorate cities around the world, as his recognizable yet refreshingly unique iconography is adored by fans globally.

ANONYMITY

Like many popular street artists including Invader and Banksy, Jerkface’s insistence on anonymity has been steadfast for his entire artistic career. He has consistently hidden his identity from both the public and artistic institutions and galleries. He has reportedly even forgone his own gallery openings, choosing instead to sit at a nearby bar to watch the exhibition from afar. Known only as ‘Jerkface’, the pop art prodigy has consistently omitted his name from association with his art. However, over the years, he has made several subtle allusions to the origin of his moniker. An unidentified graffitist has claimed that his alias originates from a nickname given to him by an ex-girlfriend. Despite his deliberate obscurity, Jerkface has become wildly popular through his Warhol-esque adaptations of pop culture.

Jerkface’s “Snoodstock” and “Color Cat”

STYLE

Through identifiable childhood icons like The Simpsons, Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse and more, Jerkface manages to merge youthful exuberance with sophisticated geometric abstraction. Drawing inspiration from the Memphis Group, an organization of Italian designers known for their vivid colors and statement design, Jerkface seeks to fuse the Memphis style with the comfort and familiarity of Saturday morning memories. One of the calling cards of Jerkface is his tendency to omit certain facial features of the classic cartoon characters. By removing these facial features, he challenges the viewer to more closely connect with the emotions elicited by the compositions, rather than the raw association that a facial expression might incite. Furthermore, the Brooklyn artist has revealed that it is important to him to have a personal connection to his subject matter. In fact, his relationship with the subject is so critical that Jerkface reportedly requested a new subject altogether when commissioned to create a work inspired by Disney’s “The Jungle Book”. Instead, he opted to create a canvas of “The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”, knowing that an absence of personal connection would negatively impact the quality of his work.

Maddox Gallery in London featuring Villainy

VILLAINY

Opening on June 24 and available to the public until July 15, Villainy, Jerkface’s first solo exhibition in the UK, is on display at the Maddox Gallery in London. The gallery describes Villainy as a “reimagination of iconic cartoons from throughout the ages, conflating shapes, characters and cinematic universes in an act that has established him as the ultimate ‘cartoon villain’”. A completely immersive experience, Villainy has taken over both the interior and exterior of the gallery to envelope the visitors in childlike wonder reminiscent of their youth.

Maddox Gallery CEO, John Russo, comments “the evolution and popularity of the work by Jerkface is phenomenal. He has become one of the most sought-after artists of our generation due to his commitment to iconography, and his reinvention of characters that inspire us to feel whimsical and nostalgic. By recreating pop culture icons and childhood favorites, he presents images that are both familiar and relevant to all, which has resulted in unprecedented demand”. Jerkface has now signed on exclusively to Maddox Gallery. Explaining his decision to show in the UK for the first time, he commented “my work is universal in many regards and seems to strike a chord throughout the world, but London, like New York, has always been at the top of my list to leave my mark on. I’ve had a following in London from the beginning, so I’m very excited to be bringing my work overseas”.

Available until July 15 at Maddox Gallery, 9 Maddox St., London, W1S 2QE and online at www.maddoxgallery.com, Villainy is an experience you cannot miss.

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