The Right Kind of Man

About

Online platform Art School is pleased to present The Right Kind of Man, their first in-person exhibition. Showcasing new works by David Horgan and Amy Wiggin, the exhibition explores the notion of identity through their colourful portraits and creates a space for further dialogue around defined gender roles. The location of the exhibition in a shop window on the busy Southampton Row will continue the conversation into the street, in line with Art School’s ambition to make art accessible to everyone.

Taking the theme of the female experience as the centre of her practice, Amy Wiggin’s uses fine art printmaking techniques to question sexuality and gender boundaries, finding new ways to imagine the masculine and the feminine. She seeks to make room for collaborative discourse on these subjects, and so when asked during a past Q&A if she would ever exhibit with a male artist, Wiggin’s response was: “Of course, but only if he was the right kind of man”.

Enter David Horgan. The self-taught artist has established himself with a unique visual style that, like Wiggin, is not concerned with creating accurate portraits, but rather in capturing a feeling built from loose composites of personality traits and iconographic tendencies. Both artists work from imagination and memory, often basing their figures on people they have met, passed in the street, or who have visited them in dreams. They depict male, female, and non-binary figures who are outwardly presenting themselves in the artworks. They become paradigmatic examples of who the artists want them to be, who they want the world to be filled with. In other words, the right kind of people.

It is important to show Horgan and Wiggin together and recognise their similarities when the artistic sphere still frequently separates male and female artists, grouping or labelling them and their work by gender. Both work in fast paced and seldom planned manners, intuitively using colour and texture to create eye-catching compositions. Their works are often embellished with symbols and texts taken from recently read material or overheard conversations to enhance the subjects’ stories. These humorous additions bring both artists’ work to the same joyous conclusion.

About David Horgan

Painter and Printmaker David Horgan (b. 1980, London) lives and works in South London and is self-taught. His work has been included in many exhibitions in the UK and worldwide. Most recently: Maza Art, Madrid, Spain (2023); Black White Gallery, London, UK (2023); FRMD, London, UK (2022); Amelia Maxwell Art Advisory, online (2022), Karen Gallery, Mermaid Beach, Australia (2022); Fresh Paint at NoHo Showrooms, London, UK (2022); McCully and Crane, Rye, UK (2022); Style Yours Spaces, Edinburgh, Scotland (2022); Deptford Does Art, London, UK (2021).

About Amy Wiggin

Artist and Illustrator Amy Wiggin (b.1984, Reading) lives and works in North London. After completing studies in English Literature and History of Art at the University of Leeds, she obtained a Foundation in Art at the London College of Fashion before completing a BA in Visual Communication at the Glasgow School of Art. In 2022 she was awarded the Southcombe Barn Annual Women’s Residency Award, Dartmoor, UK. Her work has been subject to a number of gallery and art fair presentations, most recently: Koppel X, London, UK (2023); The Other Art Fair, London, UK (2023); The Lido Stores, Margate, UK (2023); Hollywood Road Gallery, London, UK (2022); Fitzrovia Gallery, London, UK (2022); Tart Gallery at House of St Barnibas, London, UK (2022); and Irving Contemporary Gallery, Oxford, UK (2022). Her illustration clients include: Brummell magazine, The Grove Hotel, The Grand Hotel Birmingham, HER Ensemble, Show Media London and VOGUE International.

About Art School

Founded by Laine Kay-Lambert in 2021 from her home in London, Art School was born out of a desire to curate an online platform to showcase rising British talent in the printmaking field. The space was created to celebrate the rich history of printmaking and its varied range of techniques and shine a light on the Contemporary artists who are pushing the boundaries of these mediums. They are not about representing artists but championing them and their practices and work alongside them to commission artworks exclusively for Art School in limited editions.

About Liquid Gold Studios

Liquid Gold Studios is an artist-run space for artistic happenings in the heart of London. Based in an empty shop unit on one of the busiest roads in the city, they support young, emerging artists through events, studio spaces, promoting conversation, collective practice and investigate alternative models for a sustainable artistic practice in London.