Hush "Fatales" 1st Nov - The Outsiders, by Daniel Silk on Oct 24, 2013 16:30:14 GMT 1, HUSH: Fatales
Friday 1st November – Saturday 23rd November 2013
Private view: Thursday 31st October 6pm-9pm

The  Outsiders  London  is  enraptured  to   welcome  surging  British  urban  artist  HUSH   for  his  first  solo  exhibition  with  Lazarides   galleries,  Fatales.  Lauded  worldwide  for  his  passionate   canvases  and  murals,  Fatales  sees  HUSH’s   work  evolving  beyond  his  trademark   portrayals  of  Japanese  subjects.  Whilst  the   Manga-­‐influenced  Nipponettes  that  made  his   name  will  still  feature,  Fatales  also  includes   portraits  of  modern-­‐day  European “I  began  my  career  painting  Romanesque  women,  moved  to  Manga-­‐influenced,  then  feudal,   Japanese  females  and  now  contemporary  international  ones,”  says  HUSH  of  this   development.  “While  I’d  never  avoid  or  rule  out  returning  to  any  particular  subject,   locality  or  era,  progression  is  important  to  me.”  HUSH’s  vamps  are  simultaneously  imposing  and  compelling,  alluring  and  unobtainable.   They  have  no  skin  tone  and  their  features  are  blanked  out,  producing  a  confrontational   avatar  of  female  sexuality.    The  artist  also  employs  blacks,  greys  and  metallic  effects  to  further  dehumanise  his   subject.  “This  gives  that  point  of  separation  between  the  viewer  and  the  work,”  says  Hush.   “There’s  no  direct  link.  By  dismissing  that  it  makes  the  figure  both  more  seductive,  and   more  threatening.”  The  poses  in  Fatales  are  particularly  sculptural,  enhancing  the  effect   further.  “Some  people  think  my  women  are  serene,  others  that  they’re  scary.  What  is  clear   is  the  power  of  their  sensuality,”  expands  the  artist.  Either  way,  this  is  no  exhibition  for   anyone  wary  of  the  (supposedly)  mythical  va***a  dentata.  The  show  will  feature  twelve  paintings  in  HUSH’s  sought-­‐after  lavish  style,  ranging  from   one  and  a  half  metres  square  to  miniature  works.  Some  smaller  pieces  will  be  editions  of   two,  and  the  exhibition  will  also  feature  sketches  giving  a  glimpse  into  the  complex   technical  approach  the  Newcastle-­‐based  artist  employs.  The  seemingly  collage  aspects  making  up  the  backgrounds  in  HUSH’s  works  are  actually   painted  and  screen  printed.  “My  methods  involve  action  painting  and  ‘pure   expressionism’,”  says  the  formally  trained  artist.  “My  2000  square  feet  studio  is  covered  in
canvases  and  paint.  I  go  through  all  these  different  vibes  in  the  studio,  covering  the  canvas   in  paint,  throwing  my  tags  and  dabs  on  it...  it  feels  like  the  action  painting  movement  at   that  point.  I’ll  also  place  tags  of  people  I’ve  met  and  who’ve  influenced  me.  My  previous   activity  informs  the  next,  so  Fatales  features  tags  from  New  York.  A  tag  is  an  expression  of   action  painting,  if  you  want  to  through  the  theory  of  why  people  do  tags.”    Perhaps  the  most  potent  aspect  of  Fatales  though  is  it’s  thoroughly  sexy  but,  in  its  own   way,  ultimately  unisex.  “Street  art  can  be  seen  as  masculine,  aggressive  and  disruptive,”   says  HUSH,  “But  add  a  female  form  and  it  can  be  beautiful.”    Scorpio  will  indeed  be  rising  for  the  opening  of  Fatales  early  this  November.