East meets West
–
This summer the Coningsby Gallery will be transformed into a world of fantasy, childhood and a collision of eastern and western cultures, as celebrated printmaker Graham Carter launches new works in his first London Solo show in 8 years, ‘East meets West’.
Graham Carter has been one of the most sought after illustrators in the UK over the last ten years, working with clients such as Saatchi & Saatchi, Bupa, Orange and Waterstone’s on some of the most exciting and successful campaigns in the UK. As one of the founding members of the celebrated illustration collective Peepshow Graham has also enjoyed collaborative projects and exhibitions with the BBC, Diesel and Expo 2000 with ‘Lost Consonants’ creator Graham Rawle.
Despite his illustrative success Grahams passion and more recent critical acclaim lies in his extraordinary and unique art prints. Graham rediscovered his love of Silkscreen printing in 2005 and hasn’t stopped since with a string of highly successful solo shows across the South East, and exhibiting in galleries throughout the UK.
Graham’s unique printmaking style has made him one of the most collected printmakers in the UK over last 5 years. His attention to detail, characters and exquisite colour pallets transport the viewer into a land of robots, giant bears, origami creatures and of course yeti’s!
‘East meets West’ will be a collision of design elements from 40’s and 50’s America, juxtaposed by traditional oriental imagery and landscapes, creating a wonderful sense of nostalgia and a visual feast.
These passions stem from a childhood full of American re-runs and comic books, and as strongly as American culture influenced Graham the child Japanese culture and style has made it’s mark on Graham the adult, “I’m not entirely sure where it comes from but I’ve always had an affinity with eastern mythology, folklore and design. More and more it keeps creeping into my work….” Graham Carter.
Along side affordable silkscreen prints and giclee hybrids Graham will also be producing new 3D screen prints which combine laser cut Perspex characters placed in front of screen printed backgrounds and foregrounds. These extraordinary pieces have become highly collected due to their very small editions and skill in design and construction, “ I think people get really excited by these pieces because they can feel how much I enjoyed creating them. When I first saw them finally made up all these extraordinary shadows from the screen printed glass reflected in the Perspex creating an entire new layer, it looked amazing!” Graham Carter.
‘East meet West’ opens on Sunday 31st August and runs until Saturday 12th September. Open daily, for further information please visit www.graham-carter.co.uk.