Peruse artistCoco Dávez's uplifting, colour-saturated paintings and it's a veritable Who's Who of popular culture personalities, with many instantly recognisable from a single aspect alone.
Which is handy, because Coco's work largely eliminates facial features, leaving herunconstrained brushwork and pure acrylic colour on canvas to speak volumes about her subjects, which range fromcelebrities, musicians and artists, to film characters and cartoons.
All of which has resulted in her being listed as one of the most influential artists in the world and one to invest in now.
Her first solo exhibition in the UK, Faceless, atMaddox Gallery, seeks to take that dialogue further, focusing onsociety’s obsession with icons.
The large, exquisitely bright canvases portray a range of people from Amy Winehouse to Frida Kahlo, David Bowie to David Hockney, the outline of each a smooth blend of rich, contrasting colours and shadows.
Part Neorealism, part Pop Art, Dávez’s work has been described as ‘art for the digital age', paying homage to icons as influential asYayoi Kusama, Grace Jones, Iris Apfel, Pablo Picasso, Freddie Mercury, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Don Draper, Jackie Kennedy, Princess DianaandCoco Chanel.
Yet they remain a joyful examination of the characters and creatives that have come to shape our popular culture, filled with colour, life and movement.
Faceless will be on display at Maddox Gallery Westbourne Grove from 10th to 31st May 2019.