red art club
Oh what lovely war art!
(2024)
Acrylic, pen & pencil on canvas
£6,900
10% of sales donated to Peter Tatchell Foundation
Warring cultures have long used the image of Cupid taming the lion's roar—a symbol of love overcoming rage. It reminds us of what truly matters: the power of love, fired from the child’s bow.
Simon's artwork is a collage-like painting inspired by Peter Blake's vibrant aesthetic and Elaine Sturtevant's bold tradition of appropriation.
Using a mixed-media approach allowed Simon to layer textures and imagery, symbolizing the complex narratives of war, loss, and the potential of art to inspire change. The collage format provides space for juxtaposition and dialogue, reflecting the chaotic yet interconnected forces of history and humanity.
The piece interrogates whether art can truly impact the course of human actions. Drawing on iconic works such as Picasso’s Guernica and Michelangelo’s Pietà, it questions if their emotional weight has ever halted war or prevented grief. Simon reinterprets Picasso’s bull horns as Banksy-like cameras, symbolizing surveillance and control, turning the gaze outward to question our collective inaction.
This homage to great artworks becomes a commentary on the role of art in shaping empathy. It asks whether painted marks can rage against the dying light or if, like Cupid’s bow, they can truly change the world.
BP Cancer Gas Flares
(2024)
Acrylic on paper
£4500​
10% of sales donated to Culture Unstained
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The British Museum commissioned Simon, along with ten other London artists, to create a collaborative artwork responding to the 2024 Michelangelo exhibition. What began as an exciting exploration of collective creativity quickly became an eye-opening lesson on the challenges of creating under institutional and corporate constraints.
Midway through the project, BP was announced as a sponsor, and the group were explicitly instructed to avoid referencing the company, making political statements, or including anything deemed “rude” or “inappropriate.” Many of them were outraged—how could BP and the British Museum justify censoring artistic expression?
Determined to understand BP’s impact, Simon researched their practices and uncovered disturbing reports about gas flares releasing cancer-causing chemicals into communities, particularly affecting children. This discovery deepened Simon's disillusionment and profoundly shaped my contribution to the project.
My artwork became a response to these silenced realities, focusing on the children whose suffering is ignored by the very institutions that claim to celebrate culture and humanity. It reflects rage, sorrow, and an urgent need to amplify the voices suppressed by BP and the British Museum.