For as famous as his work is, from Tank Girl to the artwork behind Gorillaz, we don't know much about the fine artwork of Jamie Hewlett. As the cover artist for our July 2017 issue, we talked mostly about his comic and Gorillaz work, as the LP, Humanz, had just dropped. Now, Hewlett is showing his fine artworks at Lazinc Sackville in London, where he presents three different multi-media bodies of work in The Suggestionists, which explore various themes—Tarot, Pines and Honey. These sections are brought together under one umbrella by their respective suggestive and evocative implications.
Tarot, one of three bodies of works from Jamie's exhibition is an homage to the world of tarotica. Inspired by a book on the legendary Tarot de Marseille deck by Chilean-French art filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky, which his wife gave him, Hewlett subsequently produced 22 large-scale tarot cards. Painstakingly replicating each card, this body of work took three years to successfully complete. The artist hand-painted each one in watercolour, gouache and India ink. Hewlett has taken his original source of inspiration and expanded them into beautifully surreal and absurd scenes.
Pines, is the second of three bodies of work from Jamie's exhibition. This series features exquisitely expressive drawings that take the viewer into an enchanted woodland. The trees fill the frame, their intricate details playing with light and dark producing an almost photorealistic effect. This body of work serves to brings together the wild and mystical essence that runs throughout the exhibition.
Honey, the final section, sees Hewlett take on the sexual exploitation of 60s and 70s movies. This series revolves around a fictional female character named Honey. A series of light boxes help to evoke a seedy adult cinema aesthetic to help convey the intrinsic nature of the works. Hewlett in turn draws heavily from the vocabulary of B-movie language to create posters that are racy, provocative and, at the same time, incredibly authentic in their feel.
The Suggestionists runs through August 17, 2019.