Director’s new direction

One of South Africa’s most prolific advertising directors has stepped out from behind the camera to craft a series of beguiling artworks, which are now being exhibited in Johannesburg.

Bevan Cullinan might be best known for his role as Gary The Toothfairy on the MNET commercials or his stand up comedy career, but with this exhibition, he has revealed yet another side to his creative personality.

Named after songs by the English rock band Pulp, there are two clearly different elements to the series with one part being made up of bright lines, shapes and colours, and the other a single piece of 16 skull portraits in various shades and emphases.

Cullinan explained: “There are different format canvases in the main part of the exhibition. The sizes and shapes of the canvas influence the work and so stylistically they are slightly different to the square canvases but their tonality is still connected through the palette. The skulls were an experiment that was seen by Bojan Lazarevski, the gallery owner and he wanted to show a different side to my art. It tied in well with the theme of Pulp tracks and the representation of 16 people as skulls was aptly named ‘Common People’.”

The connection to the band Pulp was initially simply an experiment, but Cullinan explains, in the end, the music was an important element of the final products.

“When I started painting again after 15 years, I was trying to define a style for myself. I started three canvasses at the same time and chose three prolific bands that I was listening to at the time I was studying art and drama at Rhodes. The style that had the most resonance with me out of the three was the piece I had started with Pulp playing on a loop,” he said.

“I decided to paint every painting with only the band Pulp playing. A playlist of 70 tracks. Certain songs have big resonance with me and the paintings were named after these tracks. They spoke to the pieces in a way were they almost dictated the palette and rhythm of each piece.”

The launch of the exhibition was a celebrity-studded affair with numerous familiar faces such as radio jock Gareth Cliff, and comedians Chris Forrest and Brendan Jack in attendance. While some of the works have been sold, they will remain hanging at the gallery, NB Art in Blairgowrie until May 18.

Those who want to visit will find the gallery at 78 Hillcrest Ave, Blairgowrie, and more information can be obtained by calling 011 886 0731.

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