Maxim Art: Creating in the False Reality
There aren’t many creatives who make their name in one area of the art world, before becoming equally respected in another. Musician and master of the visual arts Maxim is among that elite group.
After making his mark on the dance music scene with the fierce style of British band The Prodigy, Maxim is behind a growing collection of bold, mixed media artworks.
He has been producing paintings, multi-media collages, and sculptures for more than 20 years, carving out a solid reputation as a visual artist that is entirely separate from his music success.
Maxim’s journey as a contemporary artist began with his painting colour washes and creating abstract pieces after coming away empty handed at an art fair, where he was looking to buy pieces for his house.
The fruits of his labours were quickly noticed by visitors to his home and before long, he was fulfilling commissions for others.
From musician to respected visual artist
In the years since, as well as creating music with the game changing rock band, Maxim has become a respected and talented fine artist whose works have much to say about human nature.
With several successful solo shows under his belt, he says: “I tried to keep my art separate from my life in The Prodigy. I wanted my art to be accepted in its own right and was worried about being criticised as a musician trying to be an artist.”
Maxim admits: “I was always restricting myself when I did music, never knowing how to let go and let it be what it is. All of the work is just me: whether it’s art or music.
“In music you are always aiming for perfection, you’re never 100% happy. Art is much more liberating than that; even mistakes can be beautiful.”
Maxim's artistry under the pseudonym of MM bears that lesson out. His Infinite Drama solo exhibition in London brought together some of his most breathtaking contemporary art.
The exhibition came hot on the heels of a sell-out UK tour for The Prodigy, the first since the passing of Maxim’s close friend and Prodigy bandmate, Keith Flint in 2019.
Appropriated ancient African art
Maxim’s artistic oeuvre combines powerful pieces that explore the human psyche as well as reflecting Maxim’s interest in troubling social issues, police brutality and war.
His bold compositions and primitivist art mingle “surrealism, dark humour and the complexity of an ever-changing modern society”, while also including bullets, blades and pills.
Central to the exhibition are ancient African masks: sculptures fusing influences of Afrofuturism and abstraction, brightly coloured with high-gloss reflective paint to lend them a futuristic edge.
For the uninitiated, Afrofuturism is rooted in African American sci-fi such as authors Octavia Butler and Samuel R Delany, and jazz musician Sun Ra, whose mythical persona combined Egyptian mysticism and science fiction.
Maxim’s trio of Afrofuturist masks Green Future X, Silver Future X and Black Future X capture the fusion of African American science fiction, history and fantasy, and blend them with dashes of surrealism and Pop Art. The results are astonishing.
As well as trying to link the Black diaspora with their forgotten African ancestry, Maxim’s artwork also explores the world’s darker underbelly by targeting dramatic world events.
Spreading love and positivity
The murder of George Floyd led to riots in the US, but it was a woman facing a group of police in riot gear who planted the seed of inspiration for Maxim.
He thought she looked so innocent and was obviously no threat compared to the strength of the 30 or 40 police, who were armed with shields and weapons. That powerful image led him to create Balaclava Ballerina.
The mixed media painting and sculptures feature what Maxim describes as: “a Super-Heroine in a Balaclava. She carries two guns that spray rose petals over negative people which spreads positive vibes and love”.
Likewise his Rebel with the Paws sculpture of a cat on its hind legs with twin guns drawn, continues the theme of spreading love and equality.
These tongue in cheek works look as if they belong in a fantasy world, but they also echo contemporary narratives: a surreal metaphor pointing a finger at the toxic injustice that continues to permeate society.
Motifs for mixed media artist Maxim
Anyone familiar with the diverse and eclectic collections from the multidisciplinary artist will know dollar signs crop up often in Maxim’s feature paintings. He dismisses the notion that money is the root of all evil, saying: “It depends on how you use it.
“Of course, greed and selfishness can cause corruption and destruction, but so many good things can come from having money. People can be fed, clothed and opportunities created for the less fortunate.”
What is arguably more surprising is the softness of nature that also makes its way into Maxim’s world.
The butterfly is also a recurring motif, appearing most spectacularly in his exquisite paintings inspired by the Rorschach Test ink blot drawings.
Therapy Green, Therapy Gold and Therapy Yellow demonstrate Maxim’s creativity and vibrant sense of colour, while also exploring the nature and the inner workings of the human mind.
At the centre of a storm
Storms also feature heavily when Maxim is creating paintings. “I like storms because it feels like a storm is kind of washing all the evil away. I find it quite comforting,” he says.
“People think I’m being controversial for the sake of it, but that just isn’t me. I have a dark side to myself, I’m drawn to the dark and that is what I want to explore. I want viewers to experience that darkness and see a side of themselves in it. It’s not just surface, it’s about going deeper, mining something, swirling around in the storm, in the madness.”
As for his process, he explains: “When I write music at night the door is totally shut and I always have the lights down,” he notes. “I never open the blinds. I paint with the door closed. It’s just dark. I always have to create in the false reality.”
You can view Maxim’s works here and browse our full roster of artists here