It’s been a weird couple of weeks tbh
FRANTIC STUDIO SEARCH / MUSEUM CLOSURE
The first bit of bad news is the place I’d planned to move my studio and the museum to in Margate has fallen through, so I am now looking down the barrel of an eviction next month with nowhere to go.
The seriousness and urgency of this does mean I am expanding my search and am considering other towns/cities to move it to. I’ve been searching in Liverpool, Bristol, Manchester, Margate, Hastings, (and obviously London) and a few others. If you know of an empty space that might fit the bill please get in touch. I’m looking for a retail or light industrial commercial unit to rent with a minimum of 1700 sq ft and could go up to 5000 sq ft with the right location/rent. Ideally somewhere with better transport links and more footfall than my current location in the depths of Leegate Shopping Centre.
But I may also need to take something short term that isn’t everything I need in order to keep my studio open and working. Leads welcome! I honestly have no idea how this is going to pan out. Hahahaaaaargh!
As for the museum itself, it will be closing for good on the 15th September! If you’d like to see it before then please make a booking on my website!
UK GOVT SAYS I’M AN “EXTREMIST”
Last week Novara reported that John Woodcock AKA Lord Walney, the government’s nominally “independent” advisor on political extremism, sent a dossier to the home secretary, following allegations of abuse during the general election, which included my “Vote for Genocide” poster as an example of a “concerted campaign by extremists”.
You can still download the poster for free from my website here.
RUSSIAN GOVT PRETENDS I’M RACIST
I’m also being smeared by Russian government disinformation channels as an Islamophobic artist with fake AI generated graffiti and stickers.
Pro-Kremlin telegram and twitter accounts have shared fake screenshots of fake news sites ‘reporting’ that I had put up (AI generated) graffiti *in support of the racists* in the recent UK race riots!
Obviously this is not my work, those news outlets never posted those stories, and the sentiments attached are the polar opposite of my views on immigration and the far right riots.
It started with the above images of Princess Diana and has been followed with two more batches of fake ‘art’. They also do this to other artists, Banksy and Lekto are two that I’ve seen. And this technique of nesting digital fakery in layers of media authority seems to be part of a Russian disinformation campaign that Antibot4Navalny on twitter calls Operation Matryoshka, Russian Doll. A lie nested in a lie nested in a lie.
There’s not a great deal I can do about these except make people aware that it is not my work. The ‘screenshots’ seem to have had limited reach so far, (I’m aware that I’m probably broadcasting it to a larger audience by even talking about it) but its an awful feeling to imagine someone stumbling across these and thinking that this is real and is my work.
HELL BUS X MASSIVE ATTACK
I had such a great time bringing the Hell Bus to the Massive Attack Act 1.5 gig. Enormous thanks to my amazing Hell Bus crew, Libby, Michelle, Rick, Kieran, Kestra, Justin and Hannah and to the organisers and all the event crew and to Massive Attack of course.
I made the above new photo-op cut out board for the gig, seen here which went down really well. And finished my Hell Bus bus stop with some of my old bus stop ads installed.
It was such an honour to be involved in this project, in among some great artists, it was a fantastic day.
I’ll post more soon on my website/socials about the insane conversation I had with a Shell employee who was there and who works for their “ethics” department lol. Can’t be very good at his job!
BEHEADED KING STAMPS
I had some new badges made up! Order here.
NEW PRINT
A few folk asked if I would do a print of this image, so I’ve made a limited edition signed and numbered run available in my shop.
SELLING SOME OLD STUFF
To help fund my studio move/indefinite storage needs I’m selling off a lot of the older or bulkier work in my studio, including the above Pocket Money Loans sign from my installation at Banksy’s Dismaland exhibition. I’ve made an eBay auction here. I also have original illustrations and sculptures for sale, please email me for more details.
PATREON
Thanks to everyone who has backed my work on Patreon so far, it’s been a massive help particularly with my studio/museum being demolished in October.
If you’re able to support my work via Patreon I’ll send you a copy of this zine documenting all the work I made last year. This is the only way you can get a copy, it’s not for sale anywhere else.
I’ll be making a new zine for 2024 too.
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Thanks for reading!
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