Narc. Magazine Online
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Johnnyx’s vibrant collage works, which marry social commentary and sloganeering with a visceral pop-art aesthetic, are exhibited at B&D Studios this month
In tumultuous times, the urban environment often manifests the most incisive commentary. The student riots of May ’68 proffered the timeless aphorism: Be Reasonable, Demand the Impossible; which later became Malcolm McLaren’s raison d’etre during punk. In this spirit, Johnnyx’s upcoming two-day show entitled Final Countdown at Newcastle’s B&D Gallery on Friday 11th and Saturday 12th October promises a similarly critical intervention into quotidian.
‘Johnnyx’ sounds a suitable soubriquet for a masked-crusader of the night; one hell-bent on fighting the terror of postmodern alienation through waging war on the vacuous talking heads of popular culture. Appropriately, then, his vibrant collage works marry social commentary and sloganeering with a visceral pop-art aesthetic indebted to Warhol and his Factory coterie, recalling too, Jamie Reid’s biting Anarchy-era artworks.
These punk assemblages employ the techniques of détournement and bricolage to create a “textured, multi-layered information aesthetic”, exploring themes ranging from environmental concerns to trade wars. For those seeking an ailment to the impending clouds of disillusionment that befall us, or those simply wiling to revel in the madness of our times, join Johnnyx in fatalistic glee in counting down the final hours of the doomsday clock (…come down early and you’ll even receive a free print!).
Johnnyx: Final Countdown is at B&D Studios, Newcastle from Friday 11th-Saturday 12th October
