Punk exhibition at Bangor museum

Jan 13 2010

SEX Pistols; The Clash; The Damned; names that evoke the age of Punk and a new attitude from which emerged bold and iconic graphic statements.

A new exhibition at Gwynedd Museum & Art Gallery is a rare opportunity to see Gerrion Jones’ private collection of images by Jamie Reid, Jimmy Cauty, Billy Childish and others that highlight how punk has evolved since 1976, to create Punk Forever.

Gerrion Jones has experienced the punk scene from1976 to the present day. It was his idea to show his collection as a three-day exhibition at Merthyr Tydfil College which was extended to six weeks due to public demand. The exhibition at Bangor will be the first art venue to show the collection.

Jamie Reid is famous for his designs for the Sex Pistols’ God Save the Queen and Never Mind the Bollocks records which have become cultural icons and his cut and paste technique is now copied worldwide. His work combines the political, spiritual and the cultural, often creating works highlighting social protest or intensely beautiful abstract paintings. He has also worked with the Afro Celt Sound System, Yr Anhrefn, Strongroom Studios in London and the Magic Room in Brighton.

Jimmy Cauty is best known as co-founder of the KLF with Bill Drummond and later the K Foundation ( art duo). The K Foundation was responsible for burning a million pounds on the Scottish isle of Jura in 1994. The money had been earned by Jimmy and Bill as the KLF. Jimmy has also created radical, responsive and darkly comical works of art drawing from contemporary culture.

Billy Childish is a cult figure in America, Europe and Japan and is an extraordinary and prolific artist. He has a tireless curiosity for wide ranging themes such as war, the environment and social protest. He has also painted homages to other famous artists such as Van Gogh. Kurt Cobain ( Nirvana) Jack White ( The White Stripes) and Shane Mcgowan ( The Pogues) have all admired his work.

The exhibition also includes various posters featuring The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Killing Joke, The Damned and Siouxsie

For further information on the background of the exhibition see the website

www.punkforever.co.uk

The exhibition will be opened by Henry Priestman (The Yachts, The Christians) and Rhys Mwyn ( Yr Anhrefn, Hen Wlad fy Mamau ), and will run from Friday, January 15 to Saturday, February 20 For more details on the exhibition and events arranged to coincide with it, contact Gwynedd Museum & Art Gallery on (01248) 353368.