London Miles Gallery - Surrealist, Pop, Lowbrow, Comic Book, and Illustration Art

Alex Young

Heavily influenced by the subcultural paradigms of comic, skateboarding, and tattoo culture, Alex Young draws upon a rich reservoir of influences to produce his heavily stylised illustrations and meticulously rendered portraits.

Evidencing a love for influential 70’s comics such as 2000AD, Young’s stylistic illustrations are driven by a discernibly Pop Surrealist manifesto: to create something purely for aesthetic enjoyment, or as Young would put it, that’s simply “Rad for rad’s sake.” To date these works have been commissioned for streetwear designs and album covers, and even privately for the likes of the prestigious M&C Saatchi group.

Young’s work can be separated into two loosely identified cannons however, and it is in his finely detailed portraits, reminiscent of the photorealist master Chuck Close, that Young reveals himself as an artist earnestly exploring the many variables of medium and context. His ‘pixilated’ portraits, produced predominantly in spray paint, are then lavished with fine illustration detail and multi-layered symbolism to elicit a multitude of narrative strands within each piece; thus alluding to the inequalities that exist between our ‘projected’ and ‘real’ selves.

Developing the themes of social stereotypes, preconceptions, and alter ego’s, which were central to his 2008 show ‘Exhibitionism’, Young continues to harness his remarkably diverse influences and boundless talent in preparation for his anticipated second solo show with London Miles gallery in April 2010.

In 2002 Alex Young was voted one of the top sixty most talented graduates in Britain by Creative Review magazine. He has since established himself as a leading freelance illustrator, currently residing in Brighton, UK, but also frequently working in Los Angeles with the world-renowned 7th Letter and MSK graffiti crews, under his pseudonym.