Social will initially open it’s doors as an Arts Café Bar and is premiering an exclusive exhibition by Hull artist Darren Rogers. His original artwork can be purchased and will stay in situ for 3 months.
“The paintings on show here today are part of a wider collection of artworks produced leading up to and during the lockdown period we have all endured in the past 6 months. This has been a highly emotive period, allowing us time to reflect, reconsider and re-evaluate ourselves and our place in society. Although the paintings on display here are not directly linked through narrative content to the pandemic, there are some concentrated influences, themes, and visual references throughout.
The visual signature of my work has developed over time, moving ever so slightly in one direction and then another, to the point we see today. The neo-pop language and auto-destructive abstractive process that I apply to the surfaces and motifs within the paintings are deeply rooted and referenced to the past, however, I aim to create images that mirror or critically bare witness to the society we are currently immersed within.
The work is constructed through the layering ripped up abstracted surfaces, ready-made images, popular characters, and informative motifs and logos. Some are nostalgic references removed from its original purpose or era and displayed careful alongside logos and other commonplace pop culture references to create a visual narrative. I often see the paintings as singular protest placards, produced as a reaction or as a critical question to myself and the viewer. In creating the work, I hope that it becomes the catalyst for self-exploration and a wider conversation about the political or social discourse of our time.” Darren Rogers.
His original artwork can be purchased and will stay in situ for 3 months.
