Ektopia

Antony Micallef - a Neomodernistic master. I’m not sure if that’s a contradiction in terms (and therefore a terrible way to start a book review) but words tend to fail me when I look at Micallef’s art. I first saw his work in 2005 but it seems that he’s been wowing others since before 2000. In fact, there was a new gallery that opened in the little town where I live and one of his pieces, 21st century love (pictured above), sat upstairs with a £500 price tag on it (I’ve pretty sure that it was just £500 if my memory serves me). I used to go into the gallery regularly and climb the stairs and stand in front of that print wishing that I could get the money together but it just wasn’t possible at the time. Since then, Micallef has become huge - and I mean HUGE…so have the price tags. Owning one of those prints has now become a fading dream…sorry about that; I just slipped into a momentary depression! Back to the story - More recently, he had a solo show, called It’s a Wonderful World, at London’s amazing Laz.inc and the artwork on display during the opening night was rumoured to have sold in half an hour. To accompany this show, a limited edition book (only 500 copies) was published as has become customary with Laz’s shows of late. A black hardcover affair didn’t seem to stay on the shelves for long either and before I knew it there were no more copies left and I had missed out. Luckily for all, an unlimited version of the book has been re-released for all to enjoy. Hurrah!

Antony Micallef (ed 2) has, again, been privately published by Laz.inc and that’s the only place it’s officially available from. 90-odd pages show 84 metaphorically dark but physically colourful images. Even the black and white paintings seem full of colour to me with their resonating vibrancy. On one level, when you first see many of the images that he’s created they can seem quite playful and humorous. However, it soon becomes apparent that this couldn’t be further than the truth. At their apogee, which they frequently reach, the images can be brutal, vicious, twisted (insert your own definition of these words here). One thing is always constant hough and this is how emotive each and every one of his pieces of art become one the surface is brushed to one side.

With all the reference material that Micallef uses the work is instantly familiar. There’s so much branding and cultural iconography visible in his paintings with obvious references going to the high-street food giants as well as news networks, the fashion industry, the entertainment industry, the military and even orthodox religion. It’s all there in the top image isn’t it (did I mention that I missed the opportunity to buy the print?!). White Mickey Mouse ears like twin halos. A torso completely covered with brand logos that could easily be real metaphorical branding done with hot irons by the now empty look on her face. A childish Christ-like like pose with a high rainbow instead of a IRNI inscribed plaque on a cross. Angel’s wings with blue and white military stars. It’s brutal for so many reasons but so special for every one of them. And that’s just one painting! Everything but the bombs I guess but there are plenty of those elsewhere in his catalogue of masterpieces. Mangled or simply distorted faces immediately also distort the painting’s story. Like Bacon and like I just said, sometimes the faces look like they’ve been smudged and original detail has been washed away. Maybe this has been done ’smudge’ some of the story away to make it more challenging for us to decipher the characters true feeling and what is being portrayed. Maybe it’s not but you can’t help getting in closer to see if you can find some remnants of a facial expression that was once there. Other times the faces are pig-like, which I imagine is just mirroring the vulgarity of the industries that Micallef injects into his work. With all the branding re-sampling and these distoprted images you can’t help making obvious references to Francis Bacon, who we now know was a frequent re-sampler of other artists’ work. That’s not to say that Micallef’s work is like Bacon’s because it’s not; it’s just an observation.

One thing that surprised me the most is that there’s no street-art background. This is all from the fine-art arena yet fit’s so well with what so many of the popular post-street-artists’ are up to nowadays. Antony Micallef has a signature style unlike any other. It’s instantly recognisable and is as complex as it is rewarding. He also appears to be like the majority of us according to the great interview in the book; a “hypocrite”. For all the apparent disdain towards the industries that are depicted in his work he also a stickler for consumption and likes his branded trainers like the rest of us. A true love/hate relationship with ’stuff’. There’s a healthy honesty in this interview and also in his work as he informs that his work mirrors modern culture rather than preaching against it and this open honesty is something, in my opinion, that’s much needed at the moment.

Antony Micallef (ed 2) weighs in at around 90 pages with 84 images and a 2 page interview that is one of the best I’ve read. It’s a padded hardcover edition and as previously stated, you can only get a copy direct from the Laz.inc gallery in person or by phoning them up on 02032140055. It’s the only way that many of us will be able to enjoy Micallef in the comfort of our own homes and enjoyable it is.