AM was in Sheffield last weekend for the official opening of Kid Acne’s three month run of the Kill Your Darlings solo exhibition at Sheffield Museum’s Millenium Gallery. The exhibition is his first solo show in his now-base of Sheffield, and as it’s hard to walk around the city without catching a glimpse of his outdoor murals and graffiti, it made a nice change to see some of his work in an indoor setting in South Yorks. The exhibition serves as a retrospective of sorts as he alluded within our recent interview, but offers a significant amount of fresh work too.
Read on for more words and pictures after the jump.
Long an advocate and protagonist of DIY culture with his zines, recordings and also of course the artwork itself, this museum show impels Kid Acne’s work throughout the rich and diverse mediums he uses to show just how versatile an artist he is.
As well as the paintings, prints, illustrations, murals, sculptures, installations, product designs and toys, the exhibition provides a look into the most inner sanctum of the mind of the artist – the sketchbook. Tabletop display cases present a large collection of these books as well as record covers, zines, flyers and illustrations spanning back over the last 15 years.
We were pretty stoked about the trailer for the Kill Your Darlings film, directed by friend and fellow artist Dscreet when we first saw it last week, and the full movie is set on a loop within the exhibition. It’s an atmospheric piece of film, full of Kid Acne’s characters such as the stabby women and owl heads we see within his artwork. The B&W action is leant an almost anime vibe with the painted wooden swords that the stabby women carry around.
Opening night crowds jammed the venue solid, with people queueing to get in the building. How about this for something special too? Sheffield based brewery Thornbridge have developed a special Vienna lager named after the show which can be found in Sheffield pubs throughout the run of the exhibition, with labels designed by Kid Acne of course. A pint of Kill Your Darlings please, love.
The film alone is worth the trip to Sheffield to check out the installation for yourself, and if you need further prompting, try and tie in a visit with the artist talk on the 18th August, or the artist-led print making workshop on August 22nd.
The exhibition runs until 23rd October 2011.
Discuss Kid Acne here.
Check out our full set of flicks here.
