Neon Knights

Neon Knights presented a selection of new and experimental work by London-based painters Jamie Taylor and Tom Cardwell. The title is taken from a 1980 song by Black Sabbath, which was supposedly written and recorded quickly to fill space on the album 'Heaven and Hell'. The idea of working experimentally is reflected in the works presented here, which represent new departures for both artists. Colour is also important in this show, in the luminous pigments employed by Taylor which contrast with the greyscale schemes his work is better known for. Cardwell uses a combination of neon shades and more muted tones in his constructed paintings and objects which refer to art historical tradition and heavy metal culture.

Taylor’s work continues his interest in vernacular photography found in antique shops, markets, his family archive and the internet. Essentially these are paintings of digital scans of photographic objects. He is interested in issues surrounding history, memory, loss, handmade versus mechanical, the history of painting, the history of photography, photographic storage in the digital age, and digital versus analogue.

New works by Cardwell are part of an ongoing project exploring the DIY ‘battle jackets’ worn by heavy metal fans. Techniques of assemblage, stitching and painting are used as direct references to the construction techniques used in these jackets. The juxtaposition of typical metal imagery with references to art history invite a comparison of these differing yet related making traditions and ask questions about hierarchies of culture and aesthetics.

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