MEDIA RELEASE COURTESY OF: BICKER GALLERY

For the first time in the Sydney CBD, the Bicker Gallery will be presenting Wonderlust, a ‘pop up’ art show by prominent UK artist Xenz, from 11-27 March, 2010.

Wonderlust, the first of such ‘pop up’ exhibitions to be featured in Sydney, its the work of British artist, Xenz aka Graeme Brusby, who began painting graffiti in the 80s in the derelict warehouses of Hull in Yorkshire England. His career spans two decades, one of which was spent in Bristol working with TCF crew amongst many of the street art scenes finest creative minds.

His latest studio works include a series of paintings that explore an enchanted forest in search of mythical birds. Inspired by the watercolours of John Gould, who did some of the first illustrations of the birds of New Guinea and Australia, which later became known as the ‘Birds of Paradise’.

Xenz explains, ‘I’m fascinated by birds and as a child I’d look at encyclopedias and bird books and imagine myself in the pictures, this was a time before we had the Internet. wonderlust is a perfect way to describe these works that try to capture the ethereal, via birds and their mating habits’.

Xenz demonstrates an almost eidetic ability, so extraordinary is the cohesion between his mind, memory and spray can. His innovations in the study of spray can art allow this influential artist to walk up to a wall or canvas and paint an epic landscape from his imagination tagging a wall with a simple line with parrots on it has become his trade mark. Since 2007 he has been living and working in his art studio in east London and his impressionist bohemian style has earned him the reputation of the ‘Monet of graffiti’ amongst his peers.

He has held two successful solo shows and been involved in many auctions for charity attracting a worldwide audience for his work. .

Over the past three years, Dominic Rowswell, the organiser behind the UK’s Bicker Gallery has organised shows in temporary venues in London and Bristol, commonly called “pop up shows”. This allows the artists work not to be limited to the normal conventional gallery space. The ‘pop up’ shows also enable the gallery to adapt accordingly to the artists wishes, all the while keeping the audience interested by inviting them to visit spaces that they might not ordinarily visit.

Previous shows have been held in such places as High Street shops, a disused underground station, an old police station and a converted warehouse. The venue is not revealed until a couple of weeks prior to the gallery opening.

The Bicker Gallery has strong rooted relationships with some of the most respected urban + fine artists of our generation who have taken the European / global art collectors by surprise and made collections globally. The Bicker Gallery represents artists on a primary basis and looks to nurture grass roots artists locally, giving them exposure internationally.

Wonderlust will run from 11-27 March, 2010.
Join www.bickergallery.com mailing list to receive an e-invite early March, which reveals the location of the show in Sydney CBD