Thursday 6th June 2013
The Lowdown Times
7 effort that goes into the work. It can be easy all too easy to overlook the craft, especially when my work is so geometric and deceptively simple.
that since my aesthetic came from street signage graphics, I return to that and incorporate a bit of that into the show.
All the stencils used to paint Lowdown will be stapled to the walls for everyone to see. I always think it’s a shame when you don’t get to see a stencil artists actual stencils at these shows.
As well as the existing road signs, I’m getting some aluminium circles cut, which I’ll then turn into my own ‘prohibition’ signs. You know, the red circle and diagonal line going through something like a cigarette or a pooch. I want to create a series of those in my own style.
You might see the odd photo of a work in progress painting on Twitter or Facebook now and again but that’s all it ever is. The stencils are an art unto themselves and it’d be a shame to hide them. Even the work on the first floor will be accompanied by the stencils used to paint them, so this a pretty big part of the show too. Mind you, the physical stencils aren’t for sale and if you steal them, I will batter you. So what’s on the first floor? It’s range of things, some of it old and some of it new. There’s a body of work that sees me painting on genuine road signs, like a massive round ‘No Entry’ symbol or a diversion sign, and I integrate my characters into those. I’ve obviously done a bit of that on the street but this is an opportunity to take my time on them. It feels right
At this moment in time it’s unclear how much of this I’ll be able to get done, the painted city is the priority, so we’ll see... I’m guessing that’s the ‘new’ work, what’s the ‘old’? There’s some existing prints there and some of my larger work on show, like the riot scene ‘And I’m Not Going To Take This Anymore’ and a one-off colourway of ‘It Started As A Joke’ where everyone is throwing paint. All the light stencils used in the filming of ‘Nowhere Near Here’ will be on display too. Furthermore, the vinyl version of my ‘Chasing Bones’ dog will be around somewhere. ‘Do Look Down’ is basically a comprehensive look at where I am right now as an artist. And where would you say that is? I‘d say it’s the beginning of the middle...the long middle bit in an artist’s career. As an artist, at least speaking personally, you're constantly trying to learn what comes naturally to you and your work. The closer you get to the things that come naturally, the closer you are to that truth about yourself, that sincerity. What’s the overriding message you would like visitors to come away with from your show? I want them to come away from the show feeling as if they spotted something that no one else saw. I want them to leave happier than when they went in and, preferably, with a piece of mine so I can continue doing what I do. And in twelve months time, where do you see yourself? In the same position I am right now. Sweating over every detail of a second show and wondering whether I have enough time to do what I have planned across a multitude of sticky notes and text files. However after ‘Do Look Down’, I am definitely taking some time out to just paint outside, especially abroad. It will be interesting to see how that aspect of my work has changed after the onslaught of creating this show. Well good luck with blowing paint through sheets of plastic with holes in it and thank you for your time. Cheers. Do Look Down is street artist Pahnl’s (www.pahnl.co.uk) debut solo show at London West Bank Gallery (www.londonwestbank.com) and is open from Thursday 6th June to Wednesday 12th June.
Photo by Zoe McCourt
Immerse yourself in the tiny, detailed world of Pahnl, with comic narrative and street signage aesthetics brought together through stencil art, encapsulating the world we live in with endearing pessimism and cheeky wit.