weBLOG

Right in the hub of Brick Lane is EASTGALLERY which has marked its re-opening with a solo exhibition ‘So Long Utopia’ by London based artist Sichi. Tonight I get a chance to view the show before it ends on the 2nd of September with the artist himself acting as my personal audio guide. Sichi is not unknown to the scene as his exploits in the art world go beyond painting. In addition to being involved in group exhibitions around the world his credentials as Graphic Designer / Illustrator include collaborations with none other that queen of avant garde couture Vivienne Westwood for her Active Resistance Manifesto. His sketches have even come to life in a form of little toys as his designs as BUKA was released in 2007 and his Chinese designs of toys was launched at the V&A. So, why a solo show? ‘Well, it’s about time.’

The exhibition contains 15 pieces of work mainly paintings and sketches. As I enter the gallery I am greeted by two striking paintings, ‘The Black Flag’ and ‘The White Flag’. They are both paintings of AK47s laid out in the form of a cross upon layers of different colours. The Black Flag is provocative with its strong background while the White Flag is more calming. The AK47, Sichi explains is a ‘symbol of resistance’ and he intends to use this design as a symbol of his brand ‘Intermission’.

‘No Angel’ and ‘Heavy Heart’ are two separate portraits, a male and a female, painted on a background of light blue. The contrast of skin tone to the background is striking.  He wanted the paintings to also come across as positive despite the angel being the opposite. There is an interesting underlying theme of dichotomy of good and evil. Artists can struggle to find their own style of drawing human characters but Sichi does it with ease. His distinct style ‘comes with years and years of sketching’ he explains. There is recognisable influence of comic book characters in his portraits. ‘Long Night’s Riot’ is a series of three paintings which tell a story of resistance against the establishment. The subjects are involved in a riot but their political cause remains ambiguous. ‘This is inspired by images of the riots in the late sixties’. The splutters of black give the painting a feel of reality as if it’s the riots are taking place in front of your eyes. He tells me that the 60’s bred years discontent people who rioted but the outcome wasn’t great; he grew up in a materialistic world with a bad education system. It seems that these paintings and his ideas are a backlash to this kind of ideal.

Another interesting feature is ‘Adam’s Apple’ a painting that inadvertently became a religious symbol. It is a painting of Adam on a beat-up laptop with a quote from the bible written on the keyboard. The rest of the collection, Sichi explains, is visual pieces with no agenda, purely a study of form.  

‘So Long Utopia’ is a well thought out and very thought provoking collection of work. It is inspirational and evokes emotions. Some paintings tell interesting stories of the state of our world through the artist’s perspective while others are there just as visual piece giving us an insight into the artist’s progression and his fascination with the human form... and strings. Now if that isn’t a good enough reason to go check out the show I don’t know what is.

Silvi ‘Silver’ Subba