Been poring over the Yellow Pages, scouring Craigslist and Gumtree, looking for a Freedom Wizard? We might just be able to help you there, or we might not. Young Brit artist Billy may or may not be the niche service provider you’ve been looking for; her ambiguously-titled new collection I Am (Not) A Freedom Wizard fails to clarify exactly. One thing is for certain though, and that is she can deliver a high-voltage bolt of optimistic sunshine right through your eyeballs, and that will do nicely for us.
The series appeared like magic at No Walls in Brighton a couple of weeks ago, and will remain there for a short spell – 26 July is the closing date. Billy – who also goes under Billy and Alex, and whom we interviewed at last year’s Pictoplasma – is the alter ego of Alex Godwin, whose background as a graphic design graduate informs her extremely vibrant and accessible work. The artist divides her time between London and Berlin, the streets and the studio, and there are examples of her work outdoors in both cities, as well as in South Africa among other places. The over-riding message in Billy’s paintings is of happiness, and in her world the sun is always shining, everybody’s smiling in a slightly deranged way, and there’s a child-like joy in every scene.
