A part of the 'Colour Pop exhibition:

"The main pieces in this exhibition are works I'd had in my personal collection for a couple of years. Lockdown meant I began working from home and I spent a lot of time re-assessing the works I had around me. The more I spent looking at the artworks I realised they would benefit from a device that would encourage the viewer to take a closer look. As with much of my work I feel there is a lot of visual information and aesthetic that is missed in cursory viewing. I hit upon the idea of mimicking a microscope - the circles across the piece urge the viewer to get closer and examine the artwork thoroughly.

From this starting point, I began working across multiple pieces and the collection built up from there. The circles added dynamism and movement to the piece; they became pills, dispersions of light or haloes, sun circles that dance across the artwork. This playful energy led me to add more and more details - I added arrows to 'annotate' the work, characters gained crowns to make them kings and previously drab skulls were given a make-over of Mexican wrestling masks. In some pieces, dogs keep watch and children play around newly added houses. They became a slice of the old life outside for someone who had begun to miss the simple joys of everyday life." - Simon Kirk