Two-Faced Fame

Running from 24 May – 14 June 2013, Two-Faced Fame: Celebrity in Print 1962-2013, a new exhibition held at the University of Kent’s Studio 3 gallery on the Canterbury campus, brings together a diverse range of prints by well-known artists, including Sir Peter Blake, Jason Brooks, Banksy, Gerald Laing, Marc Quinn, John Stezaker, Joe Tilson, Gavin Turk, Stella Vine and Jonathan Yeo. The exhibition is curated by School of Art’s students of the HA573 Print Collecting and Curating module.

The exhibition focuses on the ways in which artists over the last 50 years have represented fame and how the various approaches they have taken portray the phenomenon of celebrity mass-culture. The exhibition will also highlight the progression from Pop Art, to postmodern practice and the work of street artists.

From Andy Warhol’s iconic Marilyn Monroe silkscreen prints to John Stezaker’s spliced celebrity photo-portraits, and Banksy’s appropriated honesty, attitudes towards fame have varied tremendously over the last 50 years. The exhibition will provide a visual narrative of how and why artists have chosen to present recognizable figures within their work.

Luke Carver, curator and co-author of Two Faced Fame, commented: “We wanted a subject that would warrant serious exploration but which would also be accessible to everyone and include art that would cater for all tastes. Our aim is to hold an exhibition that explores the different attitudes artists have had towards their subjects, some of which have been critical, some complicit, and some which obscure the boundaries between these two camps. Ultimately, we want to invite a reflection on how and why artistic representations of fame and celebrity have been so varied.”

Ben Thomas, Curator of Studio 3 Gallery, said: “Once again Kent students are rising to the challenge of coming up with an original exhibition concept and meeting professional standards of curating. I am very grateful to all those who have supported the students putting on Two-Faced Fame without whom this exhibition could not have taken place.”

The exhibition will be the fifth organised under the auspices of The Kent Print Collection and the University of Kent. Established in 2005, the award-winning curating programme aims to provide undergraduate students with the unique opportunity to collect art on behalf of the School of Arts, and to put on museum-standard exhibitions drawing on this resource.

Two-Faced Fame will be open to the public from 27th May until 14th June 2013 at the University of Kent’s Studio 3 Gallery. The gallery is open to the public from 9am – 5pm Monday to Friday.

Click here to view the online catalogue.