‘New Works’ by Mark Drew & Edward Woodley is an overview of both artists practices, giving insight into the progression & development of their output.
Tokyo based, Mark Drew’s work revolves around pop culture references, 90’s rap samples and the visual side of music.
“Up until the mid 1990s, the hip hop music I mainly listen to was built on samples from old soul, rock and R’N’B records. The producers of this music often say it came directly from their parents music collection, and things they heard in the house growing up. Hip hop is quite competitive, but the best of it also pays homage to the past. The series I’m doing now is a way of making artwork in the same way, visually sampling/commemorating my parents collection and interest, and what would also become something special for me”.
Edward Woodley uses signage and the architecture of typography as the inspiration for his work. In his latest series of paintings, he has employed various mechanical process to produce the foundation of the artwork, with rich high gloss text branded across salvaged brass sheeting.
This meticulous process is then seemingly destroyed & distorted, to highlight & release the innate life-force of the elementary substrate, turning the otherwise rigid material into a fluid cypher of light.