We are very excited to announce Gary James McQueen as the newest artist joining TAG Fine Arts!

With a practice centering around a devotion to storytelling, and the creation of enchanting, immersive worlds, Gary James McQueen's work explores the ephemerality of life, while offering a sense of escapism through his indulgently embellished visuals.

Having developed a niche of optical-illusion textile work through his role as head Textile Designer for his uncle, the late fashion designer Alexander Lee McQueen, Gary James McQueen has reimagined his artistic process through the creation of fantastical lenticular artworks.

We spoke to Gary all about this new project release, as well as his upcoming debut with us at AAF Hong Kong 2024! Gary will also be showing with us later this year in September, at AAF NYC Fall 2024.

 

 

 

Could you start by sharing your journey into the arts, including your earliest memory of being drawn to them, and how these experiences have influenced your career path?

I grew up on a council estate in a working-class suburb of East London. When I was 5, I witnessed my father's death in a car accident, and that event remains imprinted on my memory today. I have had to face many challenges in my life, and always had the need to escape from my reality and create a new one. My art is a vessel to navigate my own realm and access my worlds.

Your uncle was the late Alexander Lee McQueen, can you share how he has influenced your work?

Lee obviously played a key role in my life and career. When I was a young boy he would pop over and together we would watch the latest horror movies, transporting us to fantastical worlds that still inspire my practice today. We would spend hours sketching out ideas for characters, stories, and places. Lee helped me understand how I could create my own worlds.

 

Gary James McQueen | Talisman Skull - Red Dragon; Lucky Frog; Water Dragon; Gold Nectar | 2024 | 3D Lenticular | Framed in black tray frame | 75 x 60 cm | Edition of 150 | £1,995 (each)

 

Your practice is focused on storytelling, depicted through cadaveric and horror themes, that utilise the skull as the canvas of expression. How do you describe your practice and the themes in your work?

Although my work addresses different topics and themes, the relationship between the distinct yet complimentary aspects of life - the beauty and the brutal, the macabre and the romantic, life and death - is at the core of my practice. Whilst life isn't always beautiful, there will always be beauty to be found in the worlds of my creation.

You have recently returned to the UK from your first show in the US. How was it?

The show in Austin, Texas was such a good experience. It was great to share my work with so many people, a major milestone for my career, and fun to experience Texan culture. The exhibition provided a multi-dimensional experience that invited visitors into a macabre yet romantic environment, dominated by digitally sculpted skulls, ethereal floral still lifes, and humanoid figures. I hope the show offered a new perspective on the transformative power of technology when juxtaposed with artistic vision and purpose, while exploring the relationship between humans and nature.

 

 

How do you feel about your work being exhibited at the Affordable Art Fair in Hong Kong?

I have always been really interest in Asian culture, and I am looking forward to seeing how art lovers in Hong Kong interact with my art. The 3D and transient lenticulars that I use have to be seen in person to be fully appreciated. I'm grateful to Mark and the team at TAG Fine Arts, and the team at the Affordable Art Fair for creating this opportunity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gary James McQueen | Vanitas Skull: Silver Edition | Transient Lenticular | 75 x 60 cm | Framed in black tray frame | Edition of 200 | £1,795

 

Can you tell us about the new artworks you are showing at the Fair?

Savage Beauty is a very poignant piece for me personally. It is comprised of two separate images; a personal portrait of Alexander Lee McQueen that I photographed in the McQueen studio in 2008, and a golden skull artwork. Lee and I worked on this concept together, and it reminds me of our shared love of storytelling. The artwork also features on the front cover of the celebrated book of the same name.

The human skull has served as one of the first visual representations of the topics and themes explored through my work, often to remind us of the darkness we sometimes encounter in life. The skull also holds strong symbolic significance in Tibetan culture, representing the transient nature of existence and the complex cycle of birth and death. The way the role of the skull in Tibetan culture unintentionally overlaps with its significance in my art is what sparked the new Talisman Skull series.

 

Gary James McQueen | Savage Beauty | Transient Lenticular | 120 x 90 cm | Framed in black tray frame | Edition of 75 | £4,995

 

The set of four transient lenticulars that I am showing in Hong Kong have been inspired by my interest in Eastern culture, and passion for the natural world. I've always been drawn to Eastern culture and design, as for me their use of rich symbolism is both romantic and aesthetically pleasing. Eastern references including dragons, koi, frogs, and dragonflies adorn the skulls. Each is embedded within metallic decorations, and set off with vibrant hues inspired by the four elements that make up all matter - earth, water, air, and fire.

With these skulls, I have tried to illuminate the beauty in topics that are mystical, macabre, and romantic.

 

 

This May 16 - 19th, TAG Fine Arts are returning to AAF Hong Kong after 4 years, and we will be debuting Gary at our Stand D01, his first time exhibiting in Hong Kong! Gary will also be showing with us later this year in September, at AAF NYC Fall 2024! Artworks can be purchased securely on our website; order now ahead of the official Hong Kong release!

For live updates on events and new releases follow us on Instagram @tagfinearts. or join our Mailing List

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