Eyestorm is delighted to present an exhibition of art work by artist, writer and legendary comedian Vic Reeves at it’s gallery on London’s South Bank.

As fans of this giant of TV comedy might expect, Vic Reeves’ art works mix the surreal and the mundane in a seriously amusing way. Featuring a selection of autobiographical paintings and drawings inspired by his life and family, My Family and Other Freaks includes brand new work and features original drawings from his recent book Me: Moir (published by Virgin Books), that was released in paperback in May.

Giving a rare insight into the artist’s personal life, the exhibition features paintings of the artist’s four children and his wife Nancy. The series of small works on paper, that appear in his recent autobiography, tell a humorous story of the artist’s life as a youngster growing up in Leeds and Darlington; his incredibly accurate memory providing a comical insight into the events that occurred during the first 20 years of his life.

Shown alongside the autobiographical works that form the basis of the exhibition are other paintings, drawings and prints, including the Bird Series, a collection of lithographs published by Eyestorm that focuses on real and fictional birds, some of which appear in amusing fabricated situations with celebrities. One piece features the ballet dancer Rudolf Nureyev “imitating a ‘smew’ as it passes over his house in the direction of the railway lines”. Others, more minimally, present a singular rook that appears to be marching in a bola hat, or a ’crested tit’ on an interestingly shaped branch with what appears to be a Mohican hairstyle.

Ram-raiding disparate sources of contemporary iconography from celebrities to wildlife and explosives, Reeves’ playfully deranged works are held together by their stylistic tact and control. The artists Jake and Dinos Chapman describe Reeves’ art as ’able to command our laughter as a purgative, to encourage the viewer to leak at both ends’.

Although primarily known as a comedian, Reeves has also successfully gained recognition as a visual artist, having studied art at Sir John Cass College in Whitechapel in the mid 80s, and last year having two paintings anonymously accepted into The Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition. In fact, Reeves began his professional career as a performance artist, inviting members of the crowd at The Goldsmiths Tavern in New Cross, South East London, to join him on stage for a frenzy of nonsense talk and comic performance. It was here that he met a young Bob Mortimer. The two were consequently spotted by TV scouts, and the rest is history, with shows such as “Big Night Out” and “Shooting Stars” appearing on prime time television shortly afterwards, consequently making Reeves a household name.

What is Eyestorm

Eyestorm is the leading online retailer of limited edition contemporary art. Founded in 1999, Eyestorm came under new management in 2006 and has refined its operations to make buying the finest contemporary art easier and more enjoyable than ever before. Come and visit us at our new Bankside gallery next door to Tate Modern in London.