16 Nov 2008

Jasper Joffe's 'Does the Royal Family like Poornography (sic)?

Jasper Joffe's

Does the Royal Family like poornography (sic)?

Jasper Joffe's 'Does the Royal Family like poornography (sic)' is the first solo show in Sartorial's new 6000 square feet gallery in Kings Cross, London

Poornography (sic) is everywhere and Joffe ponders whether it is now enjoyed in the highest echelons of society. The Queen, Prince Philip, and their heirs may now be the carefree consumers of an endless stream of hard couer poorn (sic).

The poorn (sic) images on show are all drawn from free mainstream websites with guaranteed over 18 models. Joffe signs the paintings with the site from which they have been generously donated. The paintings are billboard size confronting the viewer, whether royal or commoner, with poorn outside the intimacy of his/her computer screen. The dignity, properness, and clothedness of Royalty are contrasted with the women in poornography (sic), stripped, penetrated, and covered in sea-men (sic).

In order to find a way through our indifference to images of what may be human suffering, to vivify that which has been photographed into submission, and restore humanity to viewer and viewed, Joffe paints Queen and country.

The question is 'Does the Royal Family like poornography(sic)'. And the reason all the sensual words are spelled wrong is to avoid email blockers and riff on the daily stream of sensual emails that are sent out by spammers.

The show continues themes of misogyny, status, aesthetics, and desire from his 'Beauty Show' at V22 Gallery London in 2008, where he showed painting of 80s lingerie models with paintings of Himmler. He requested guests at the opening to identify themselves as either ugly or beautiful and assemble in one of the galleries accordingly.

It continues a provocative series of exhibitions including 24 paintings in 24 hours at the Chisenhale Gallery in 1999, 72 painting in 72 hours at Brno House of Arts, Czech Republic in 2003, and Buck Naked Painting at Sartorial Contemporary Art in 2007.

Jasper Joffe is a curator, writer, editor, and mainly a painter. He is founder of London's The Free Art Fair, the art fair where all the work is given away at the end. He recently sold a painting of Himmler to Charles Saatchi causing a minor controversy. He has had solo exhibitions in Milan, Brno, London, and Rome. He is the author of novel, Water, published by Telegram books in 2006 and co-editor of The Rebel art magazine. He is now 33 years old.