“Success isn’t overnight, it’s born out of hunger, isolation, defeat, self-doubt, and grit. In this social media obsessed world we live in; people always want to show things (and life) through an Instagram filter of perfection. I try to keep it real but put a funny angle on it.” Mr. Controversial.
Collectors and Celebrities have been snapping up Mr Controversial’s artwork since the release of his first collection, Pulp Fiction. He is the most talked about emerging artist in the current art market and has been compared to the likes of The Connor Brothers and Harland Miller. He cast a shadow over Battersea’s established Affordable Art Fair due to his humour, wit, and controversy and quickly became our top selling artist on the stand.
About the artist
Mr Controversial is a thirty-three-year-old, London based artist who; transforms vintage imagery relegated to the past and brings it back to life with oil paint, silkscreen printing and relatable captions that tell comical, satirical, and sometimes dark stories. He plays with the concept of ‘The Familiar Surprise’. You’ve not seen this image before presented in this way, but it reminds you of something familiar. He creates Imagery that elicits an emotional response and triggers a nostalgic or cultural memory packaged in satirical, relatable captions and quotes.
The Works
“‘IT’S ALL JUST F**KING WORDS’ are relatable truths wrapped in sarcasm and satire. I would describe my collection as a ‘hero’s journey’ and the telling of my own personal experiences and what I observe in the world.” Mr. Controversial.
His recent body of work is described as relatable truths wrapped in sarcasm and satire. This collection conveys a minimalist approach to ensure 100% of the observer’s attention, is on the words written, which is further reinforced by his painting technique. Mr Controversial is thirty-three years old and grew up in West London. His artistic journey began when studying Photography at college, it is here where he fell in love with the creative freedom that art permits. This taste for creativity and freedom of expression led him to study a degree in film production at London Southbank University. He left University hungry for fun and success, however he was met with something entirely different from what he imagined. A familiar feeling for most, being underwhelmed with life, as you become part of a system you never envisioned yourself being in. For the next 10 years he worked for digital advertising a period in his life which he described as “soul destroying and miserable” and “stuck in a spiral of living for the weekend”. After being made redundant and feeling disillusioned by the working world, he decided to pursue his own creative dreams and became artist Mr Controversial.
“When I’m not creating in the studio, I spend many hours in my favourite West London coffee shop sketching out ideas and playing with concepts. Many people come in and out throughout the day and I like to earwig in on conversations, deconstruct them, and almost psychoanalyze them. I then put them back together with a funny twist and use that as a basis for a piece of art, I create the imagery around the caption. A lot of my work is based on conversations I’ve personally listened in on or things I’ve seen on social media posts or comments. I always try to find the funny angle, especially with stuff that’s often quite dark. I have a fearless approach to my work, whether that’s taking the p*** out of gluten intolerance, social media influencers, online dating or our own insecurities that rattle around in our minds fuelled by advertising, consumerism, and capitalism.” Mr. Controversial.
