Sex Pistols; The Clash; The Damned; names that evoke the age of Punk and a new attitude from which emerged bold and iconic graphic statements.
A new exhibition at the Gwynedd Museum & Art Gallery, Bangor from 16 January to 20 February is a rare opportunity to see Gerrion Jones’ private collection of images by Jamie Reid, Jimmy Cauty, Billy Childish and others that highlight how punk has evolved since 1976 giving you “Punk Forever”.
Gerrion Jones aka “Wacky” has experienced the punk scene from1976 to the present day. It was his idea to show his collection as a three-day exhibition at Merthyr Tydfil college which was extended to six weeks due to public demand. Gwynedd Museum & Art Gallery will be the first art venue to show the collection.
Esther Roberts, Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery Curator said:
“This exhibition is a rare opportunity to see a private collection of posters, paintings and re-drawn popular images which consider particularly interesting cultural issues in our modern history. We hope that a number of people will drop in to enjoy the exhibition and that it will attract a new audience.
“The exhibition includes work by a number of important artists in the world of punk culture.”
Jamie Reid is famous for his designs for the Sex Pistols’ “God Save the Queen” and “Never Mind the B****cks” records which have become cultural icons and his cut and paste technique is now copied worldwide. His work combines the political, spiritual and the cultural, often creating works highlighting social protest or intensely beautiful abstract paintings. He has also worked with the Afro Celt Sound System, Yr Anhrefn, Strongroom Studios in London and the Magic Room in Brighton.
Jimmy Cauty is best known as co-founder of the KLF with Bill Drummond and later the K Foundation (art duo). The K Foundation was responsible for burning a million pounds on the Scottish isle of Jura in 1994. The money had been earned by Jimmy and Bill as the KLF. Jimmy has also created radical, responsive and darkly comical works of art drawing from contemporary culture.
Billy Childish is a cult figure in America, Europe and Japan and is an extraordinary and prolific artist. He has a tireless curiosity for wide ranging themes such as war, the environment and social protest. He has also painted homages to other famous artists such as Van Gogh. Kurt Cobain (Nirvana) Jack White (The White Stripes) and Shane MacGowan (The Pogues) have all admired his work.
The exhibition also includes various posters featuring The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Killing Joke, The Damned and Siouxsie
For further information on the background of the exhibition, visit:
www.punkforever.co.uk
Events are to be arranged to coincide with the exhibitions. Full details to follow but will include events with Jamie Reid, Viv Albertine (ex-Slits member), Rhys Mwyn (Yr Anhrefn), a Welsh language “audience with” evening, and a collaboration with Cob Records.
Also in Gallery 2 of the Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery, a “Leaving the Twentieth Century” exhibition will be on show. It will include photographs from the final years of the last millennium by Peter Telfer featuring the Welsh rock scene and other world events. Peter Telfer is part of a new cultural networking site “Culture Colony – Y Wladfa Newydd”. For further details see www.culturecolony.com
The Gwynedd Museum and Art Gallery, Bangor is open from Tuesday to Friday from 12.30pm to 4.30pm and on Saturday from 10.30am to 4.30pm. Admission is free.
