VALERIE JOINT SHOW OPENS THURS

Valerie's showing work alongside some good mates curated by our pal Vickie from Jaguar Shoes.
Here's the deal:
PRIVATE VIEW: THURSDAY 30TH JULY 2009, 6PM TILL 9PM
DOWNSTAIRS AT MOTHER
THE BISCUIT BUILDING, 10 REDCHURCH STREET, E2.
RSVP TO: DOWNSTAIRS@MOTHERLONDON.COM

AFTER PARTY, 9PM TILL 1AM
DREAMBAGSJAGUARSHOES
32 KINGSLAND ROAD, E2.

And here's the Press Release:
DOWNSTAIRS AT MOTHER GETS AN AUTHENTIC SHOREDITCH MAKEOVER
Downstairs at Mother is proud to announce the launch of its latest exhibition, a collaboration with infamous and influential Shoreditch institution JAGUARSHOES.

JaguarShoes create radical, bespoke environments and collaborate with progressive brands to produce dynamic creative projects. They do not make shoes. For this exhibition they will be covering Downstairs at Mother with works from four of their current roster of exhibiting artists: Chrissie Abbott, Valerie Phillips, Jiro Bevis and Marcus Oakley.

Grown from East London's creative community, JAGUAR SHOES evolved from the world renowned bar and exhibition space 'DreamBagsJaguarShoes', forming a company that now encompasses a collection of creative enterprises.

From their studio in the heart of Shoreditch, JAGUAR SHOES produce bespoke interiors, events, exhibitions and parties and consistently motivate directional creativity, style and sociability within the creative industries via their venues, events, products, exhibitions, publications and curatorial services.

Chrissie Abbott
Chrissie Abbott studied Illustration at the London College of Communication and now works lives and works in East London as a full time freelance illustrator. Her work recalls cult psychedelic artists such as Roger Law, who produced illustrations during the 60's for key figures in the movement but is most akin to the layout and typography of 70's poster art and progressive rock record sleeve art, of which one cannot speak of without considering it's figurehead, Roger Dean.

In both physical and digital media Chrissie's work is most often characterised by collaged imaginings, which, in vivid Technicolor, utilise pattern and found images to create a uniquely delicate and fragile aesthetic that often touches on themes of nature and humanism. She has produced commercial work an array of clients including Virgin, Orange, MTV, Nike, Nylon, The Barbican and The New York Times and has designed T-shirts for 2K, Urban Outfitters and Timberland.

Valerie Philips
Valerie Phillips is an internationally recognised fine art and commercial photographer, her documentary style captures the beauty and spontaneity of her subjects. Her work is an engrossing mix of uncomplicated, unstyled images and obsessive documenting that gives the viewer a true insight into the subject.

Born in New York and currently residing in London, Valerie's style is still heavily influenced by her home country. Much of her work is shot in the Midwest, which fuels her obsession with horses, the moon and all thing Americana. She has shot campaigns for an extensive client list that includes Nike, Dr Martins, Urban Outfitters, Virgin (Records, Mobile & Atlantic), Paul Smith and Reebok, as well as constantly producing editorial shoots for the likes of Vice and Nylon magazine. Valerie has also produced five books and is the co-founder of Cherryvale Skateboard Company, an ongoing art project that acts as a receptacle for stray thoughts and ideas that don't find their way into her regular working schedule.

Jiro Bevis
The work of artist and illustrator Jiro Bevis is heavily laden with abstracted and distorted imagery from the landscape of popular culture and has, to date, drawn particularly on the super-sized, steroid enhanced iconography of Regan's America. His output constitutes a scrap-book of bizarre and satirized cartoon imaginings, which are inspired by the mise-en-scène of the era in which he grew up watching too much television. Having evolved his drawing and painting practice into a comic book style that uses acid colours and halftones to explore the obscene excesses of contemporary Western culture, Jiro's images, though often grotesque, never fail to catch the eye and capture the imagination. In this respect they will draw comparison to the surf art of the late 60's that, lead by artist Jim Philips, evolved into the hugely influential skate/ punk art movement of the 1970's.

Since graduating from Central St. Martins in 2004, Jiro has achieved commercial success producing works for a client list that includes Nike, Sony, Black Lips, Six Pack, Vice, The Guardian and Virgin.

Marcus Oakley
London Based illustrator/artist Marcus Oakley is originally from Acle village in Norfolk. He is 1/3 of the curatorial team behind 'The Side Effects of Urethane' and is also the founder of 'Banjo Art Collective', which he began in '99 with the intention of bringing a group of artists together.

While celebrating the pallet and quirky nature of the 1950's kitch, Marcus's recent works mix his bizarre yet everyday characatatures with the design, fashion and typographic residues that form our hyperbolic impression of late 60's/1970's Westcoast American hippy culture. His simplistic paintings reflect the movements naïve and unsophisticated quality, an ease which he no doubt found during his childhood in Norfolk where he enjoyed the pastoral delights of the countryside, soundtracked by the harmonic and melodic music of the Beach Boys.

Marcus's Illustration clients have included Pointer Footwear, Howies, Channel 4, Levis, GQ Style, The Idler, Time Out, Silas, Slam City Skates, Paul Smith Ltd, Citroen, Plan B Magazine, 679 recordings and The Guardian Guide.

Bridie Picot
Downstairs at Mother
Biscuit Building
10 Redchurch St
London, E2 7DD