Robert Priseman’s latest exhibition presents 100 damaged religious icons, purchased from e-bay and over-painted with the portrait of a 20th century celebrity who died prematurely from suicide or as a result of a self-destructive lifestyle.
The process of over-painting seeks to mimic the replacement in contemporary culture of faith with fame and of saints with ‘stars’, exploring Jarvis Cocker’s idea that people believe fame is a kind of heaven that can “sort things out”. Priseman explores the territory of the cult of the celebrity, focusing on those amongst the celebrated who are troubled and at times unable to cope with the pressures of modern living.
An extraordinary series of new work, on show for the first time.
