One of the world’s most collectable and provocative contemporary artists, Mr Brainwash, flew from LA to London to launch his eagerly awaited, new exhibition at the restored Battersea Power Station on 25 April, opening to the public until 3 May.
The high impact and high value new collection is rich in styles and themes, including pop culture sculptures like Life is Beautiful, which became his catchphrase after his legendary LA exhibition of the same name catapulted him to fame in 2008, making history as the most highly attended private exhibition of all time with more than 50,000 visitors and artwork selling for six figures.
The show unveiled large-scale statement pieces, brick artwork celebrating his street art origins, painted balloon sculptures, neon mirror artworks, “vandalised” frames liberating art from canvases, and paper originals deconstructing popular culture.
Mr Brainwash also released two exclusive, limited editions, Long Live the King and Power to the People. Long Live the King commemorates the coronation of King Charles III and is the partner piece to the Platinum Jubilee Queen of Hearts editions, which are already being collected for double their original price.
Power to the People is Mr Brainwash’s bold, new depiction of the show’s Battersea Power Station location, emblazoned with his graffiti, a Life is Beautiful neon and with nods to Pink Floyd’s iconic Animals album artwork and Banksy, who directed the Oscar-nominated Exit through the Gift Shop documentary, charting Mr Brainwash’s meteoric rise to fame.
Like the French street artist, Battersea Power Station is larger than life and has been regenerated for the modern age, a concept which is close to his heart. The artist has a special connection to the iconic
building and unveiled a giant mural there in 2021 to celebrate the launch of the Battersea Power Station Underground, which was accompanied by a large-scale light show on the Power Station itself and the unveiling of a Life is Beautiful sculpture. The mural is now on display inside the Grade II* listed building.
After the London exhibition, the show will go on tour to Clarendon Fine Art’s Birmingham and then Bluewater, Kent Galleries, both of which will feature Mr Brainwash in attendance, followed by week-long, public exhibitions.
Clarendon Fine Art has been Mr Brainwash’s exclusive UK gallery representative since 2020 and their CEO, Helen Swaby says: “His work is an orchestrated collision of street and pop art, built around messages of hope, that has challenged cultural norms and made him a global street art phenomenon.
“We are excited about bringing Mr Brainwash back to a place with so much significance to him for this innovative riot of themes, styles, statements, jokes, commentary and chaos.”
After starring in Banksy’s 2010 documentary, Mr Brainwash said: “Banksy captured me becoming an artist. In the end, I became his biggest work of art.” Since then, Mr Brainwash has designed album covers for Madonna, Rick Ross and Michael Jackson, collaborated with everybody from Mercedes-Benz, the Beckhams, First Lady Michelle Obama – for her Let Girls Learn organisation – and Pope Francis for his Scholas youth foundation. And he is changing the face of street art in the UK with his unique brand of positivity.
For further information, exhibition attendance, interview requests or high-res images, please contact:
Charli Morgan or Matt Glass / [email protected] / [email protected] / 020 8355 7864