Pick Me Up, the exhibition of illustration and graphic art at London’s Somerset House, opened on Wednesday night. Pick Me Up is part exhibition, part craft fair, part workshop and (allegedly) is the country’s first ‘Graphic Art Fair’.
Claire Catterall, Somerset House Embankment Galleries Curator, said: “Pick Me Up will for the first time ever bring together affordable graphic art by the best international graphic artists and designers available to buy at a major central London venue.”
A number of designers from Sky Creative and myself attended Wednesday nights opening, which was also a networking event run by Glug, a London based after work drink for designers, creatives, clients and friends run by Ian Hambleton of Studio Output and Nick Clement of Made Studio.
Glug organised a number of talks by designers and illustrators who spoke about 5 favourite things that inspire and inform their work. Speakers included design legends Jonathan Barnbrook and Anthony Burrill as well as Chrissie Macdonald, Mr Bingo, Jiggery Pokery and Emily Forgot.
I attended the Barnbrook, Mr Bingo and Jiggery Pokery talk. Barnbrook, one of the most well-known graphic designers in Britain and renowned for his social conscience, mentioned a recurring theme in his graphic design that designers should remember they ‘…are citizens first, designers second, think about what it is your designing.’ He then went on to describes his another major influence was the the novel Steppenwolf by German-Swiss author Hermann Hesse. He also spoke about how designers should seek inspiration from their environment, rather than imitating work that wins awards – he mentioned how design seen on the street has influences him, for example the Johnston (or Johnston Sans) typeface well-known for its use by Transport for London.
The main exhibition displayed the work of a selection of established and up and coming designers including:
Alex Trochut
Hellovon
James Joyce
Chrissie Macdonald
Peep Show
Lorenzo Petrantoni
Michael Marriott
Siggi Eggertsson
Andy Gilmore
Rose Stallard
Print Club London
Sam Arthur
Sarah King
As well as the work on display Pick Me Up also features a variety of extras, including stalls from collectives and studios selling interesting graphic produce.
Rob Ryan, the paper cutting maestro has moved his studio into the second floor where you can watch his delicately cut-out works creative process progress and printing press in action.
While downstairs, prints from 24 illustrators are available to buy in the Take Me Home gallery. The exhibitors were chosen by a panel of industry insiders which included Patrick Burgoyne, editor of Creative Review, Agharad Lewis, editor of Grafik Magazine and Liz Farrelly, a graphic design writer and editor. The illustrators were commission by Somerset House to create an ‘affordable’ limited-edition print for the show.
At The Print Club workshop, various designers and illustrators will be making prints – including Scott King, Frith Kerr, Marion Deuchars and Angus Hyland, and Morag Myerscough. And they will also be running screenprinting workshops. While It’s Nice That are showing a series of films.
And take some cash as Concrete Hermit, Le Gun, Nobrow and Peepshow have set up shop, offering up prints, drawings, books, T Shirts and all manner of printed ephemera.
I found the Pick Me Up exhibition fantastic and would definitely recommend you visit – it’s rare to attend an exhibition that features such a variety of work, both in graphic style and production methods, in one place at this quality and the eclectic mix mean there really is something for everyone.
For more information:
Pick Me Up
From April 23 to May 03 at Somerset House, London.
Or keep up to date with what’s happening on the Pick Me Up Blog
