Fresh Eyes - ING Offices, London
Preview by Lizzie Guilfoyle
AN EXHIBITION of Formula 1 Art from the 2008 Season, Fresh Eyes, will be on display at the ING offices in London – from November 28 to December 19, 2008. ING is one of Formula 1’s leading sponsors.
The exhibition will comprise a number of artworks by 12 artists who were given unique access into six Grand Prix during the 2008 F1 season, in order to capture and portray the passion and excitement of F1 in their own artistic styles.
The exhibition will include a unique work of art by the iconic pop artist Peter Blake, the father of pop art, his first ever foray into the world of motorsport. Also unveiled will be a study of double-world champion Fernando Alonso by Jason Brooks, complementing his famous work of Jenson Button, which currently hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, along with many other of his works.
As part of the 2008 Fresh Eyes art competition, six artists from around the world won the chance to work at their home Grand Prix, with a professional artist mentor, having first impressed a judging panel comprising art collector, ING Renault F1 Team MD Flavio Briatore, artist Sir Peter Blake, and art critic Rachel Campbell-Johnston. Each artist received exclusive access behind-the-scenes into the ING Renault Formula 1 Team, and each has created art to reflect their unique experience.
Each work of art will be available for sale both at the exhibition, and online at the official website, with 100% of the proceeds going to ING’s UNICEF charity Chances for Children.
Full list of winning and mentor artists exhibiting at the 2008 Fresh Eyes exhibition:
Mentor artists:
Australia – Paul Thomas. A graduate of the Royal College of Art and RWA academian, Thomas has exhibited in countless solo and group shows around the world.
Spain – Marta Martez. Martez has exhibited throughout the world in many major contemporary exhibitions, most recently at Moriarty Gallery in Madrid and Galeria Palma XII in Barcelona.
Monaco – Jason Brooks. Winner of the NatWest art prize in 1999, Brooks had a number of his pieces recently acquired by the National Portrait Gallery, and his work is included in the Saatchi collection.
UK – Sir Peter Blake. Credited with inventing pop art and famously creator of the Sgt. Pepper album cover for The Beatles, Sir Peter was recently awarded GQ Magazine’s first ever ‘Visionary of the Year’ Award.
Hungary – Agnes Sepfalvi. Sepfalvi’s work is held in many major art collections including The National Museum of Art, Osaka, Japan, The Ludwig Museum Budapest and MAC Sallaumines, France.
Belgium – Leen Voet. Exhibited widely throughout Europe, Voet won the Prize Langui, the premier prize for young Belgian Painting in 2003.
Competition winning artists:
Australia – Julie Burke. Sydney-based Burke is a graduate of Monash University art school and her signature large format works in graphite have been exhibited in solo and group shows around Australia.
Spain – Hector Darcos. Tenerife-born Darcos is a recent graduate of E.A. Fernando Estevez school in Tenerife and the Elisava School in Barcelona, where he now lives, producing urban graffiti art works.
Monaco – Alexey Chaysakov. From his base in Moscow, Chaysakov has developed a stylised look to his works, based on his 20 year-career exhibiting throughout Russia.
UK – Nicholas Archer. Based in Hastings, Archer has had a number of group and solo exhibitions, and was ‘commended’ in the 1998 BP Portrait Awards at the National Portrait Gallery, amongst many other awards.
Hungary – Mark Molar. Molar’s self-taught skills realised a distinct look working on oil on canvas, with Fresh Eyes his first exhibition event.
Belgium – Adam Leech. US-born Brussels resident Leech graduated with an MFA from the Art Institute of Chicago, has exhibited across Europe and taken residencies in the Netherlands and the USA.
ING Offices, 60 London Wall, London, EC2M 5TQ.