Last weekend saw the opening of a major exhibition at Quay Arts by Ventnor artist, Paradox Paul (aka Paul Woods).
The 2021 Open winner has filled the huge West Gallery to the gunnels with three year’s worth of work, and it looks incredible!
We don’t think we’ve ever seen the gallery space so full, and it was no surprise to hear that it took 12 days to install.
What’s it all about?
Since the onset of the first lockdown in 2020, an unconventional gift shop on Ventnor’s High Street (Paradox Island) has been crafting ‘peculiar’ items that often baffle passers-by.
These creations, which serve no practical purpose and are often considered too bizarre for gifting, have been labelled “weird” by perplexed passers-by and the rare adventurous visitors.
The phrases “WTF?” and “Oh my God!” are also commonly uttered in reaction to the items on display.
500+ creations
So far, approximately 500 “trash-art” items have been made from an assortment of toys and ornaments sourced from local charity shops and you can see incredible artworks in the pristine surroundings of the West Gallery at Quay Arts Centre in Newport.
Unique one-off items
The artist behind these creations, Paradox Paul, has discovered that neatly packaged items tend to be taken more seriously, which has led him to craft hilarious boxes, posters and other satirical merchandise.
Although the artwork and packaging may appear mass-produced, each piece is a unique one-off, never to be replicated.
PP: My art divides opinion like Marmite
Paul says,
“I’ve been told my art divides opinion like Marmite, so you might just hate it! (I still haven’t decided for myself whether this is mostly Trash or mostly Art)”
Collaboration
For the major exhibition, Paul collaborated with Violet Mareck, Steve Prangnell, Susie Prangnell, Martin Swan, Mark Cosby, Mark Dickson and Keith Allso.
Their contributions work fantastically alongside Paul’s work and are a credit to the artists.
Don’t miss out
We can’t recommend visiting this exhibition strongly enough. It really is an amazing body of work and possibly requires several visits.
You can see Messing with Heads at Quay Arts daily between 9am and 5pm until Saturday 8th July.
The exhibition has been supported by Arts Council England.
