ICONIC / I-KON-IK / I-KAH-NIK

ICONIC / I-KON-IK / I-KA-NIK

A pop-up exhibition from BROOKESart

in three parts

During the pandemic I seemed to have plenty of time to put some of the ideas I had been thinking about over the last few years into being

I wanted to explore themes that I wouldn’t normally be associated with, e.g. portraits

I wanted to have a small, no-fuss, exhibition that I could also add to in the future

In a place where people could come and have a look….. have a drink….. and chill

A place that people wouldn’t expect…

i.e. a non- gallery

That place is Heaven & Ale

part one:

7 x 27

living through the pandemic we have been forced daily to face the issue of life and death

over this time I watched a couple of documentaries about some of my music and artist heroes that came to their tragic deaths at such a young age and subsequently became part of, what has become to be called, the infamous “27 club”

makes you think doesn’t it, it can all be over in the blink of an eye, no matter how young or how successful you are…….

Amy 23 July 2011 Camden, North London Alcohol poisoning Amy Jade Winehouse: the awesome singer-songwriter whose eclectic mix of soul, rhythm and blues, and jazz earned her the accolade of “pre-eminent vocal talent of her generation” Winner of multiple Grammys, Ivor Novello award, Mercury prize nominated. Plagued by drug and alcohol addiction, her full potential was never truly realised She will be forever remembered and sorely missed

Janis 4 Oct 1970 Landmark Motor Hotel, Hollywood, LA Heroin overdose Janis Joplin, the white female blues vocalist & songwriter who sang rock, soul and blues music She dazzled listeners with her fierce and uninhibited style and grew to fame after stunning the audiences at both the iconic Monterey and Woodstock pop festivals after which she became one of the most widely known and successful rock stars of her era Rolling Stone listed Janis as No 46 on its 2004 list of Greatest Artists of All Time

Kurt 5 April 1994 Lake Washington Blvd East, Seattle Gunshot, suicide

Kurt Donald Cobain. Front man, lead singer-songwriter & guitarist for seminal grunge band Nirvana Through his music & lyrics Kurt became the spokesman of his generation; Generation X, although he resented this, believing his message and artistic vision to have been misinterpreted by the public He is considered by many to be one of the most influential musicians in the history of alternative rock

Jim 3 July 1971 Paris Heart failure James Douglas Morrison (a.k.a Mr Mojo Rising and Lizard King) lead singer, songwriter, poet & front man of the Californian band The Doors Frequently arrested for his outrageous on stage behaviour he eventually moved to Paris to concentrate on writing poetry Regarded by music critics as one of the most iconic and influential frontmen in rock history

Brian 3 July 1969 Cotchford Farm, Hartfield Drowning by immersion in fresh water Lewis Brian Hopkin Jones, founder of the Rolling Stones Keith Richards:

“He formed the band. He chose the members. He named the band (after a line in a Muddy Waters song “Catfish Blues”). He chose the music we played. He got us gigs. ... he was very influential, very important, and then slowly lost it – highly intelligent – and just kind of wasted it and blew it all away”

Jimi 18 Sep 1970 Lansdowne Cres, Notting Hill, London Asphyxia, intoxicated with barbituates James Marshall Hendrix, the American rock guitarist, singer, composer who fused American traditions of blues, jazz, rock and soul with British avante-garde rock to redefine the electric guitar in his own image The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes him as “arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music” He is regarded as the most influential electric guitarist in the history of popular music

Jean-Michel 12 Aug 1988 Great Jones St, New York Heroin overdose Jean-Michel Basquiat, American painter known for his raw style of painting with graffiti-like images and scrawled text, rose to fame in the late 70’s, where rap, punk, and street art merged into the early hip-hop culture Befriended by, and collaborated with pop-art supremo Andy Warhol A 1982 painting, “Untitled”, sold for $110.5M at auction, becoming one of the most expensive painting ever purchased and setting a new record high for an American artist