‘There was a brief and very exciting period in the mid 1970s when King's Road, Chelsea was the coolest destination for young people wanting something new and urgent. The term 'Punk' was yet to be invented, but from '75 onwards there was something in the air and things were about to get edgy. 1976 - my world catches fire. Romantic ideals meet trash culture. Punky reggae party. Fashionable Chelsea. A smashing time. Out on the town. Putting it about. Minsky’s Gallery 1978 - one/man show business.’ Richard Walker

‘Looking back at 1977 and the chaotic punky explosive quality of ‘Smashing Time’, it is clear that Richard not only contributed to the fracas of Punk but captured its essence in his art..’ Simon Doonan

Sandra Higgins is pleased to present, ‘Rip It Up and Start Again’, a sneak preview show featuring the iconic works of the British artist Richard Walker. This show is an opportunity to view a selection of Walker’s 1970’s works which form part of a larger exhibition scheduled for the Spring of 2014 which will celebrate the British ‘Punk’ legacy. Walker’s work at Gallery Petit successfully transports its viewers back to the wild anarchic spirit of ‘punk’ only moments away from where it all erupted on the Kings Road.

Punk was an international movement. For example, in downtown 70’s New York, crowds of the young, provocative and rebellious gathered at the music club CBGB to see performances by the likes of Patti Smith, Blondie and The Ramones. The Gallery Petit show follows the success of New York’s MET 2013 summer exhibition entitled, ‘Punk: Chaos to Couture’ and in London, the superb ‘Photography of Punk’ exhibition at the Show Studio.

Round the corner from Gallery Petit, on the Kings Road in London, Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren launched the legendary boutique ‘Sex’, a cutting-edge ‘punk’ alternative to the regimented social norms. ‘Rip It Up and Start Again’ pays homage to these cultural icons; his prints poke fun at the quintessential moments and famous personas of Britain on the cusp of an anti-gossip movement. The images feature 70‘s symbols such as Patti Smith and Bianca Jagger, they playfully mock a celebrity culture whereby the love life of Princess Margaret became a subject of babble and hearsay.

Walker’s work marks an eruption of extraordinary creative expression, which burst onto international cultural scenes of the 70’s. The original screen prints, produced between 1975 and 1978, celebrate the provocative and edgy spirit within which they were made. Walker’s prints are ‘cheeky and irreverent, bright and bold’. The overlapping imagery, experimental dynamic angles and rapid markings mirror the provocative and rebellious character of ‘punk’. His prints reject the vision of society as uniform and humdrum and work to translate an energetic and revolutionary time something that was experienced internationally, but also personally by Walker. ‘There was a DIY spirit emerging and these works images are actually the “genuine articles” of a pre-digital era that foresaw the insane times we now live in’.

Walker has exhibited internationally and extensively in the UK, including the Minsky’s Gallery, Thumb Gallery, New Academy Gallery and the Curwen Gallery, London. He has shown his work at major international art fairs, London (ART1998, 1999, 2002) and Art Fair Cologne 2001. His work can be found in public and private collections in the UK, Europe and America. Walker has completed many installation commissions including a mural art at Axis Restaurant, One Aldwych Hotel, London; Three Window Installations, Barneys, New York and the Glass Wall Installation, Hyatt Hotel, Warsaw. He has also worked with a range of different mediums and produced a selection of film and sound works in the 80’s. Walker lectures in BA and MA Printmaking at Camberwell School of Art, London and teaches at Kingston University, Brighton University and Heatherley’s School of Art.