Gareth Halliday: Possible Worlds

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UK-based mixed media artist Gareth Halliday joins The Outsiders Newcastle this June with a comprehensive body of provocative works on paper. Possible Worlds marks Halliday's return to the commercial art community after over a decade of sheltering his creative pursuits from the public eye. The upcoming solo exhibition follows the reclusive artist's widely acclaimed submission to London's Groucho Club's charity auction last March, appearing alongside works by Peter Blake, Chapman Brothers and Tracey Emin. The unorthodox compositions present a subjective juxtaposition of found material, fusing high and low culture whilst referencing freedom of expression and DIY ethic largely associated with the Dada and Punk movements. Titled Possible Worlds, in reference to the American Philosopher David Lewis' theory on modal realism, the new body of work explores the infinite possibilities for creating unique pieces through the process of collecting and re-appropriating found and forgotten images. Combing his background in printmaking, painting and photography, Halliday investigates the possible relationships between unrelated fragments while utilising an experimental aesthetic suggesting a number of ambiguous themes and ideas. Possible Worlds raises the subversive artist's satirical work back on to a public platform and hopes to present an alternative interpretation of the incongruous reality often sold to us by superficial advertising and evocative branding. After years of guarded incubation the hugely entertaining and intricately considered pieces seek to challenge the way in which we view our surroundings and the messages in which we take from them.