DEREK BOSHIER

In 7 Self Portraits, Boshier reassembles his artistic output, themes, and contexts and, in-so-doing, redefines the notion of a self-portrait. In what Boshier terms “Archival Self-Portraits” his journey is presented as a visual narrative that charts especially transformative years, intertwining life and art. Each distinct work is intricately woven with images and themes from a specific year, providing an intimate, somewhat polymorphic, depiction of self.

Self Portrait: (Circa 1955) (2022) delves into Boshier’s formative years at Yeovil School of Art, during which he was profoundly influenced by Monet and Van Gogh. Images from this period are interwoven with snapshots of factories, reflecting the artist’s early exposure to industrial elements that would later become integral to his artistic identity. Self Portrait: (Circa 1970) (2022) takes viewers on a journey through Boshier’s world of film and literature, drawing inspiration from his film Link (1970) and conceptual book 16 Situations (1971) from that very year. Epitomising Boshier’s musical connections, Self Portrait: (Circa 1979) (2022) incorporates images from iconic books and vinyl record covers for David Bowie and The Clash. Self Portrait: (Circa 1982) (2022) transports viewers to Boshier’s time spent in Texas, capturing the essence of his experiences and emotions during this period.

Sit/ Stand/ Knell – Global Warming, The Factory, and The Saints are simultaneously personal and universal; complex subjects are tackled with as much delicacy and honesty as their pencil on paper depiction. Outlines of figures are suspended in seas of leaves, clouds, swirling lines of abstraction, and crucifixes, their insides a visual tableaux of activity.

American Tragedy, America and Guns (2021) is a powerful piece that opens observation on contemporary American culture, prompting viewers to reflect on complex societal issues and debates. Meanwhile The Factory (2022), delves into the industrial landscape providing a kind of social commentary on human labour and the modern workforce. Denoting the urgency of climate change, Global Warming (The Floods) (2021) invites contemplation on the impact of environmental challenges for planet earth. Music and the Musician (2023) and Near Sherborne Dorset (2022) demonstrate, respectively, the artist’s connections to music and landscape, while The Saints (2022) suggests an introspective exploration that has taken on a spiritual dimension.

Spotlighting the artist’s trademark wit, humour, and incisive observation, this exhibition offers visitors an extraordinary opportunity to see Boshier reflect on his trailblazing artistic career.

The exhibition coincides with a survey exhibition of Boshier’s work at Wolverhampton Art Gallery Derek Boshier: Image in Revolt and the publication of a major new monograph Derek Boshier: Reinventor, published by Lund Humphries, edited by Helen Little, and featuring commentaries and reflections by leading contemporary artists, academics, curators and writers.

‘Celebrating Boshier’s iconic, irreverent, and constantly evolving practice, the two exhibitions and recently published book presents a timely opportunity to look back and across the career of one of Britain’s foremost exponents of Pop art. Offering a lens through which to understand his wider practice, they speak to the legacy of Boshier’s art that has strived to expose and challenge society’s norms, values and taboos and call attention to the structures that influence how we see and express ourselves – and how we are seen by others.’

— Helen Little