‘These four Bristol artists all have something to say about modern society’

FAB 4 is a new exhibition at Bocabar featuring four Bristol artists whose profiles are all on the rise.

So, who’s on the roster? First up, anyone who found themselves gazing up at the walls of BS3 during this year’s Upfest will recognise the work of veteran Bristol painter Andrew Burns Colwill from his stunning wall piece The Gift, on North Street near the Black Cat pub.

Elsewhere among the quartet, Julian Quaye is known for his quirky anthropomorphic figures; Jimmer Willmott has just exhibited alongside Andrew and Julian in the 50/50 exhibition at The Crow’s Nest Gallery London; and the powerful, almost Cubist abstracts of Thomas Dowdeswell have been known to Bristol art-lovers for some years now.

Curator Auntie G (aka Gilli Kane), from the Bristol’s online Kane Gallery, tells us her thinking behind the show. “I have chosen four Bristol artists who, in their different ways, have something to say about modern society. I find the work of all four fascinating. Whether they come from contemporary art, pop surrealism, or street art, their work says something: it has a message and it deserves thought and attention.”

Julian Quaye, ‘The Aviator’

“In Julian’s work, it is in the narrative behind his paintings that you find the meaning. Whether it is the bumbling, priapic and preening politician (in Bullingdon attire), the eco-warrior penguin, or a Great Dane war veteran, it’s always intriguing to spot the parallels with our own society that Julian makes.

“Thomas’s work plays with perspectives and emotions while raising important questions about identity, society and human interaction. His recent American Series responded to the Trump administration and debated the vital shift in the global political order. Employing central motifs such as a revised version of the American flag (with the stars removed and the stripes inverted), prison cells, the theoretical US/Mexican wall and an army of shrouded and faceless figures, Thomas seeks to open debate about the responsibilities of liberal, Western democracy in the 21st Century and the dangers of hatred – sexism, racism and bigotry.”

Thomas Dowdeswell, Wailing Wall Blues Part Two

“Jimmer’s new pieces challenge the cult of past celebrity and the relevance of out-of-date icons. In his own words he ‘cheapens, puts a sugar coat on’ and challenges the norms. And Andrew’s work juxtaposes a fear for the future if society does not wake up to the realities of climate change, mixed with hope for a more utopian future brought about by technology, understanding and a new way of thinking. His work in the show features sunglasses – a metaphor for how we avoid facing the realities of climate change and political decisions.

Jimmer Willmott, ‘The Girl with the Smurf Tattoo’

“Lots of people feel that buying art is love at first sight, and I totally agree with them. I’ve also found that learning more about the artists and their work has given me a refreshed insight and a deeper love and understanding of the work. That is what I want to bring for others’ who come to visit the FAB 4 show.”

FAB 4 takes place at Bocabar in the Paintworks until November 4. For more information, visit www.the-kane.gallery/pages/fab-4. Meet the artists on Wednesday, September 12 from 6pm-8pm 

Pictured top: Andrew Burns Colwill’s Statue of Austerity