20 Feb - 21 Mar 2010
open daily 12-6pm
at WW Gallery pop-up venue
The Merchant's Hall, 46 Essex Road, N1 8LN (entrance on Packington Street)
click here for map
Page index View the 77 paintings See pictures of the Launch Seediary of events Readthe curators' introduction Downloadpdf press release Downloadword doc press release
We Love 77 is an exhibition featuring 77 paintings of the most iconic Punk and Rock bands. The title of the exhibition is associated with 1977 - for many the definitive year of Punk - but also features influential bands from before and after this date.
Press Release
WW Gallery presents We Love 77, an exhibition of 77 paintings by artist duo Sardine & Tobleroni, chronicling the evolution of punk rock, with special appearances from the legendary Don Letts and punk rock icon Poly Styrene of X-ray Spex, plus screenings of major punk documentaries, surprise gigs and many of the featured musicians in attendance at the London launch.
This is the first major UK solo exhibition for Sardine & Tobleroni, who describe their practice as ‘Conceptual Art Brut'. Sardine & Tobleroni were inspired to embark on their series in 2005 when Mojo ran a special Punk Issue called 77 Punk Smashers. The paintings include The Clash, X-ray Spex, Sex Pistols, Ramones, Buzzocks, MC5, The Stooges, Patti Smith, New York Dolls, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Sham 69, The Damned, Joy Division and Black Flag, to name a few.
For many 1977 was the definitive year of Punk, but this exhibition also features influential bands from the early American precursors like the Stooges, to contemporary bands like the Libertines. The result is the first art exhibition of its kind and a monumental tribute by the artists to one of the most exciting eras in the history of popular culture.
To launch the exhibition, British film director and musician Don Letts - original house DJ at the Roxy, where the first Punks congregated - will play a set, and Poly Styrene, often described as the voice of 77, will be introducing her film X-ray Spex Live at the Roundhouse 2008. To give further context to the paintings, there will be a series of documentary screenings, including The History of the Clash, Don Letts' PUNK: attitude, Zillah Minx's She's a Punk Rocker UK and much more.
For further information, please contact Chiara Williams or Debra Wilson at wwgallery@gmail.com or 07531342128 or visit http://www.wilsonwilliamsgallery.com
Diary of events
Launch Fri 19 Feb 5-10pm
5-6.30pm Press/Collectors Preview
6.30-7pm Curators Debra Wilson & Chiara Williams introduce the show and artists Sardine & Tobleroni
7-8pm DJ set with legendary musician and film director Don Letts
8-9pm Punk rock icon Poly Styrene of X-ray Spex introduces her film X-ray Spex Live at the Roundhouse London 2008
Film Screenings
Sat 20 Feb 2pm PUNK: attitude a film by Don Letts (Part 1) (courtesy of Fremantlemedia Ltd)
Sun 21 Feb 2pm The History of the Clash (courtesy of Eagle Rock Entertainment Ltd)
Sat 27 Feb 2pm PUNK: attitude a film by Don Letts (Part 2) (courtesy of Fremantlemedia Ltd)
Sun 28 Feb 2pm X-ray Spex live at the Roundhouse London 2008 (courtesy of Future Noise Music Ltd)
Time OutFirst Thursdays 4 March 6-9pm
6.45pm Screening of Zillah Minx's She's A Punk Rocker UK
7.30pm Q&A with director Zillah Minx, lead singer of 70s punk band Rubella Ballet
8.00pm Ginette Baker Q&A and reading from her new book It Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time: Memoirs of a Rock Star's Daughter 1974 – 1987
Closing Party Saturday 20 March 5-10pm
(guest list only, rsvp to rsvpwwgallery@gmail.com)
Final celebration with music and surprise guests
Shock & Soul We Love 77 Fashion Show One-off 1977-inspired designs by Happy Harriet & Oops. Vintage pieces by Shock & Soul. Styled & directed by Natalie Farouz.
Auction of We Love 77 collectables & fashion
Draw for the We Love 77 MC jacket (tickets on sale throughout the show)
Last chance to see the show Sunday 21 March 12-6pm
WIN this vintage 1977 MC Jacket, customised & signed by Sardine & Tobleroni
£2 tickets will be on sale from 5pm 19 Feb
The winner will be drawn at the closing party Saturday 20th March 5-10pm
Entrance on Packington Street Merchant's Hall on junction of Essex Road and Packington Street next to The Old Queen's Head Pub
Curators' Introduction
by Debra Wilson & Chiara Williams
Art duo Sardine & Tobleroni first came to our attention in January 2009, when they cloned our website and added themselves as WW represented artists, complete with a biography and images of their works. Impressed by the effort involved, but most of all by the gall of this cheeky gesture, we decided to visit them in their Hackney studio.
Blown away by the sheer volume and energy of their work, it was love at first sight. We sensed that they were kindred spirits and instinctively understood their practice, which they described to us as Conceptual Art Brut . It was also at this first meeting that we were witness to the beginnings of the mammoth series We Love 77. We snapped them up immediately.
The processes and techniques of their Conceptual Art Brut are a visual equivalent of punk music; Sardine & Tobleroni's approach subverts both the tradition and the romance of ‘paint on canvas'. Rather than focusing on the ideology and values of figurative representation or theory, Sardine & Tobleroni's seemingly ‘unskilled' style underlies a deliberate and intelligent desire to re-establish the bridge between high and low art.
The duo divides the canvas surface into two halves, of which the right-hand side is painted by Sardine and the left-hand side by Tobleroni. Their work is a hybrid of naïvety, humour, purity and the intuitive and can be read as an aesthetic stance as well as a revolt that embodies a new art, one that overturns prevailing tastes.
With work self-consciously rooted in Dada, the duo has disregarded the traditional values of high art in favour of creative anarchy. It reflects the atmosphere of the punk era, with a visual language that aspires to a new order, whilst remaining reticent on the subject of its existence. The artists work within a low budget, choosing readily available materials and sources for their colour, form and structure. The element of chance is also treated as a creative process and any mistakes become part of the work.
The two artists first met on a course at Hackney Community college, during which they found themselves sitting next to each other. This chance meeting and the circumstance of Tobleroni sitting on the left and Sardine on the right is responsible for the formal composition of their work. Theirs is an attempt to free themselves of the values of tradition - whilst recognising their place in it - they laugh in its face.
A decidedly unique pairing, Sardine & Tobleroni (now London-based but of Portuguese/Swiss origins) have been working together since 2006. Tobleroni was born in Switzerland in 1971. He studied art in Japan and Basel and exhibited internationally as Jay Rechsteiner until 2006. He is an accomplished painter in his own right, as well as a technical and multimedia whiz. Sardine was born in Portugal in 1972 and is involved in the music industry, having toured internationally as Victor ‘Torpedo' Silveira, with his bands 77, Tedio Boys, Blood Safari and, of course, the infamous Parkinsons, featured in the We Love 77 series.
In 2008 the pair had a major solo exhibition in Lisbon called Espelho Meu (My Mirror), a series of paintings of Portuguese rock & punk bands. Following the phenomenal success of this exhibition, they decided to start painting every punk band in existence. The idea was later refined when they chose to take Mojo magazine's 77 Punk Smashers (2005) as their starting point. The resulting series We Love 77, is the culmination of over a year's work and is presented by WW Gallery as the artists' first major UK solo show.
For many, 1977 was the definitive year of Punk and this exhibition is a cultural commentary as well as a celebration, giving historical context through painting, film and music. Sardine & Tobleroni honour the music avant-gardists who laid the foundation of new thinking, invention and liberation. Whether in their paintings, films or installations, Sardine & Tobleroni's work transcribes and embodies the creative approach and spirit of DIY favoured by the punks.
The emergence of youth subcultures has been one of the most controversial aspects of life in post-war Britain. The press and public have condemned these groups as almost demonic. In a time of rapid and radical social change, the fresh ideas that came about during the punk era are as stimulating and relevant today as they were at the time.
This exhibition of 77 paintings chronicles the evolution of punk rock and is a monumental tribute by the artists to one of the most exciting eras in the history of popular culture.
The Paintings If you are interested in purchasing paintings, prints, books or t-shirts from the We Love 77 series, please contact us on 07531342128 or email wwgallery@gmail.com
