“Nice body, shame about the face” is a crude old put down, but seems to sum up Nathan James‘ cast of fuglies quite nicely. The London-based Canadian artist’s Creepshow series was a grotesque affair, and Punchlines develops the joke, taking the idea of archetypal beauty and giving it a nasty twist, defying expectations and subverting the norm.
James’ pin-ups are no oil paintings (well actually they are, but you know what we mean), more likely to prompt cat-calls than wolf-whistles. Like his previous work, cartoon imagery and the Golden Age of Hollywood feature prominently in Punchlines, but other staples of clean-cut Americana such as advertising melt under the glare of his attention as well. It’s not just the girls who have been hit with the ugly stick either; in the spirit of sexual equality the chaps get a going over too – even captains of industry like Richard Branson aren’t safe from James’ mischievous re-imagination. Punchlines is landing at London’s KK Outlet gallery from 4 to 25 October.
