Bowie immortalised in Neon
CELEBRATED British artist Louis Sidoli is launching a solo exhibition of original neon art marking David Bowie’s greatest moments at a Manchester gallery this month.
Launched with a private event at Castle Fine Art based on King Street on Thursday November 17, an exhibition of the work will run from November 18 to 27 which is free of charge to the public.
Born from the artist’s longstanding admiration of David Bowie, ‘Neon’ celebrates the pop icon’s artistic journey from 1970-1980.
This was a prolific period for Bowie, during which he produced over 10 seminal albums – what Sidoli calls his ‘Golden Years’.
From performing as Ziggy Stardust during the Glam Rock years to his famed New Romantic Ashes to Ashes photoshoot, each piece of artwork reimagines iconic moments in Bowie’s career in a fusion of aluminium and neon.
Containing approximately 180 individual components and taking between four-six weeks to create, each work starts life as a pencil sketch.
The artist then undertakes computer aided design, metallurgy, engineering, carpentry and neon glass making before the pieces reach the gallery walls.
Sidoli has carved himself a new niche in contemporary pop art as the only UK artist to combine text, imagery and neon elements in this way. Many of his pieces also contain hidden symbolism in the layers of imagery.
Inspired by popular culture in all its forms, Sidoli places a special emphasis on Bowie as a pop icon, crediting the release of his 1971 album ‘Hunky Dory’ as a defining moment in his development as an artist.
He explained: “It was the track ‘Andy Warhol’ on this album that from an early age, first ignited my curiosity and love of the pop art movement. It’s fair to say that without this album, I might not have become an artist.
“Today my work takes pop culture references from a variety of different sources such as newspapers, memorabilia and public records, to create artworks that are iconic and accessible.”
In addition to symbols of mass culture, 15 years spent working as a designer in the car industry also heavily influenced Sidoli’s style.
His commercial experience working for brands including BMW, Mini and Land Rover formed a key building block for his artistic future – the engineering and craftsmanship in his work a result of his product design background.
After making a name for himself as a rising star of the contemporary art world, Sidoli was signed to the UK’s leading fine art publisher, Washington Green Fine Art, in 2007.
His work has since been the subject of over 50 solo and group exhibitions throughout the UK and USA and is owned by collectors worldwide, including high profile personalities such as Liam Gallagher, Ozzy Osbourne and Henry Holland.
Glyn Washington, founder and director of Washington Green, which owns the Castle Fine Art network throughout the UK, said: “Louis Sidoli is a unique talent who likes to provoke thought and reaction in his work. His distinctive style is evolving the genre that began with Andy Warhol, as he carries on the pop art legacy through the experimental use of new materials and techniques.~
“While pop culture references are plentiful throughout Sidoli’s work, David Bowie remains the most enduring influence and reoccurring icon within his work. This ground-breaking new exhibition sees Sidoli craft a visual tribute to Bowie using neon as his medium.”
