"Mixtape Brighton" Group Show (July 2024)

MIXTAPE: BRIGHTON 2024

Fishing Quarter Gallery, Seafront Mode: ENABLED
Friday 26 July – Sunday 28 July, 2024
With: TBOY, Populux, Curly Mark, Cassettelord & more retro renegades

Sometimes you find yourself showing art in a pristine gallery. Other times… you’re down on Brighton seafront, with a DJ spinning bangers, a warm breeze carrying the scent of chips, and a drunk man in a suit asking if that floppy disk on the wall “still works.” (Answer: emotionally? Yes. Technically? Let's see)

Mixtape was a group show celebrating all things analogue — music, telly, VHS-fuzzed memories, arcade legends, and more. I had the honour of joining a talented bunch of artists for a weekend of pure retro joy, hosted by the excellent TBOY and crew. The Friday night launch was packed: drinks flowed, tunes bounced, and walk-ins wandered straight off the beach front, blinked at the weird art, and somehow left as collectors.

For me, it was a bit of a milestone moment. Alongside a few classic oil-on-canvas pieces, I debuted some new 50×52cm floppy disk sculptures featuring hand-painted labels, lovingly distressed and mounted like ancient relics from the Great Digital Collapse of '98. First time I’d shown them in public. Brighton was kind.

Even better, I got to meet some collectors face-to-face (you lovely weirdos), and connected with new folks who laughed at the titles, squinted at the details, and totally got the blend of sarcasm and sincerity I pour into every scuffed-up disk.

The show ran all weekend and never lost steam. The artists were welcoming, the crowd was buzzing, and the gallery — perched right on the edge of the sea — felt like the perfect setting for a nostalgia-charged glitchfest.

Thanks again to everyone who came down, danced, bought, heckled politely, or asked if they could insert the artwork into their Amiga. (Again: please don’t.)