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Chris Acheson
1 The Thrill Of It All Giclée edition of 95 Image 213/4” x 24” Framed £625
Boxed canvas Edition of 95 Image 321/2” x 36” Framed £795 Unframed £550
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MANNEQUIN MUSES
A chance photograph taken in a Soho street has become the inspiration for painter Chris Acheson’s mannequin doll homage to the glamorous world of the Roxy Music era
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hris Acheson paints what he likes. A seemingly unhealthy obsession with Agent Provocateur shop window mannequins has actually been the foundation of his first collection of work for Castle Galleries and he is unapologetic. “When I left college," (he studied Fine Art at Manchester Metropolitan University), "I got a job as a bicycle courier around London’s West End, and every day I passed this Agent Provocateur shop and started taking photographs. Now, some years later, I have
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finally had a chance to bring it to life.” His colourful and arresting images display a genius collision in technique producing a riot of abstract realism and colour. He admires and apes the Jeff Koons style of hyper technicolour, projecting what Acheson calls the ‘Hollywoodisation’ effect on the normality of everyday life. His three compositions depict the mundane (a London bus, a workman’s ladder, a group of drinkers outside a Soho pub) in sharp contrast to the glamorous mannequins. His
fascination with what he refers to as ‘the exoticism of everyday life’ intoxicates these urban scenes and his experimentation and bold use of colour adds immediate depth to his work. “The bric-a-brac of popular culture, cinema and music are the key subjects running through most of my work” explains Acheson. What could easily be classed as seedy is given a gloss of sophistication which is decidedly beguiling, and makes these images ‘stand out’ pieces for