Travelling from Jealous East to Jealous North this February will be Canadian artist Teddy Sue’s stand out exhibition ‘Famous’. This vibrant show hosts a broad portfolio of monoprint works which examine the impact of celebritisim on society; exploring the power of image, playfully walking the line between kitsch and critique. The exhibition will present a series of unique monoprints, a process which requires very quick action, as the artist applies the ink in vigor, working quickly before the ink dries. Despite their loosely crafted and energetic form, the iconic representations are clearly recognisable.
Teddy Sue boldly renders images of major cultural and political figures, deconstructing the facial compositions and reducing the portraits into freely applied abstract expressionistic marks of vibrant colours. This medium provides the artist with immediacy between his vision and production, with the highly saturated palette, intensifying the spectacle of the image. After a hugely successful 10 day showing at Jealous East, the artists UK debut solo exhibition makes it’s way to Crouch End, wildly anticipated and one certainly not to miss.
Teddy Sue is a portrait artist (born 1971), raised in the Rocky Mountains, Canada. After a fairly conservative upbringing, Teddy Sue renounced the family business, opting for a more creative life. Teddy spent several years studying various artistic avenues including sculpture, typographic design and even tapestry. Finally, in 1997, he was awarded a scholarship to the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design and spent two years exploring a more fine art focused practice. After much consideration he decided to drop out of RISD and move to Copenhagen, Denmark, where he joined the Freetown Christiania Movement. Here he learnt the skills of screenprinting while producing promotional material for the community. The movement and process became a love affair for Teddy, and he spent many years in Copenhagen, eventually meeting his wife and starting a family. In 2012, after being attacked by a horse and losing the full use of his left leg, he moved back to the Rockies with his family. He continues to live and work in the mountains, creating his iconic mono-printed portraits.