PHILIP COLBERT
(B. 1979; Perth, Scotland)
Pop artist Philip Colbert’s multi-disciplinary art projects have been acclaimed by an array of fashion icons, including Karl Lagerfeld and Lady Gaga, and have been featured in a number of museums, private collections and pop-up exhibitions worldwide, notably Art Basel, Frieze London, Art 16 and Tate London. Previously described by Andre Leon Talley as “the godson of Andy Warhol”, Colbert’s work provokes a unique, wholistic contemporary voice in modern pop.
Working across painting, embroidery, furniture, sculpture and wearable art, Colbert expanded his pop universe most recently with his inaugural solo show of large-scale paintings exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery. The monumental new works, conceived as a dialogue between the artist and his pop forefathers, trace Colbert’s autobiographical journey within his unique creative landscape. Like his Pop Art predecessors, he employs aspects of mass culture and removes them from their context to create a provocative, satirical language of his own.
Colbert brings pop back to British painting with a bang, transporting historical icons alongside today’s celebrities and motifs. The artist’s visual set of references include Salvador Dali’s lobster telephone, Lichtenstein’s hot dog, David Hockney’s swimming pool, Francis Bacon’s distorted portrait, Grayson Perry as his alter ego Claire, amongst others. The foundation of Pop Art is juxtaposed with Colbert’s own playful response to icons and symbols associated with fine art. In doing so, he creates a dialogue with established ideas and works of the past. He ironically pastiches this imagery, playing on the notion that their repetition and overuse over the years have rendered them symbols of popular culture.
Throughout his practice, Colbert plays to our fears as much as our hopes, by highlighting the influence of social media on our daily lives and addressing political concerns and global issues such as climate change.