Saatchi Gallery Opens TEENAGE KICKS Exhibition

On 1st December 2015, the Saatchi Gallery will open Teenage Kicks: New Works by Pure Evil in the Prints & Originals Gallery.

Teenage Kicks showcases new works by the British contemporary artist Pure Evil. The exhibition is a celebration of the heroes, heroines and female icons that populated his teenage years. The exhibited works seek to tap into the sense of drama, colour, dynamism and immediacy associated with teenage life. As The Undertones sang "A teenage dream's so hard to beat..."

"For TEENAGE KICKS I am taking a look back to my youth, when I was the only New Romantic in the village. Stuck in the middle of nowhere in the countryside, I was planning my escape from the valleys so I could go out clubbing in London ...." - Pure Evil

Most of the works in the exhibition are fresh additions to the Nightmare series. The series was conceived as a project to create an alternative world of Warholesque celebrity - at once fizzing with surface colour but combined with an ever-present sense of darkness or doom. The artist has added new portraits to the series and also introduced new stylistic elements such as camouflage and 'dazzle' patterns.

"The subjects are inspired by pop culture, and are a reflection of my teenage self, sitting in my bedroom, reading the NME, listening to John Peel and DREAMING." - Pure Evil

Together with new paintings and fresh hand-finished prints, the exhibition will showcase newly created tapestries, perspex sculptures and customised hi-fi equipment.

About the Artist

Pure Evil is an artist and gallerist who works out of east London. Commonly described as a street artist, Pure Evil is a prolific producer of works across many media - including stencilled spray paint, screen prints, sculpture and multimedia. The artist has also collaborated with other artists, brands and galleries to yield stained glass works, ceramics, homewares and clothing lines.

Works by the artist have been exhibited in China, Russia, South America, the USA and all over Europe. In 2014 works by the artist and his father, John Uzzell-Edwards, were exhibited together at Tenby Museum & Art Gallery. In January 2014 the Saatchi Gallery exhibited works from the Nightmare series.

The Saatchi Gallery was founded in 1985 to provide a platform to bring contemporary art to as wide an audience as possible and make it accessible. Over the last five years the Saatchi Gallery has hosted 15 out of the 20 most visited exhibitions in London, according to The Art Newspaper's survey of international museum attendance, and is also ranked amongst the world's top five most liked museums on Facebook and Twitter by Museum Analytics. Entry to all exhibitions at the Saatchi Gallery is free.