Pete Fowler’s nautical people show

Many of us have our head in the clouds, a state of mind which if depicted might look like Pete Fowler’s Theme From Boat Weirdos, his latest show.

Down Wave Dave by Pete Fowler
Down Wave Dave by Pete Fowler

Fowler will be forever known as the Super Furry Animals’ artist of choice, but he’s also worked with other bands including The Horrors and Clinic as well as a list of companies far too big to mention here.

This collection seems to be more about people than the ‘monsters’ he often focuses on, albeit people placed in an intergalactic sea of inclement weather.

The nautical influence on Theme From… is several fold. It follows on from a show Fowler did at Outlaws Yacht Club earlier this year and he has been drawing on the sea quite a bit in recent years, having made forays into boat-building on the Isles of Scilly earlier in life.

Head Full of Sail by Pete Fowler
Head Full of Sail by Pete Fowler

Then there’s his current personal music project Seahawks – which he describes as ‘deckshoe gaze’ – and his love of so called yacht rock – a kind of mid ‘70s soft rock.

As an aside Fowler stresses the artwork he’s doing for Seahawks’ is a big departure from his signature style and seems to be collage and photographic based.

When Theme From… comes to The Book Club, you’ll find acrylic on canvas drawings and a mural created in the spirit of the show.

From the Depths by Pete Fowler
From the Depths by Pete Fowler

While Fowler is known for toy designs, print making, large-scale acrylic paintings, sculpture, custom synthesisers and music videos I was surprised to hear him tell me he has a cross-stitch embroidery show on now at Beach called The Needle and the Damage Done.

Meanwhile he continues working on album art for bands, including  ‘Black Tempest, an electronic band, Gulp – Guto from Super Furry’s band – and something new and exciting with Gruff Rhys’ which he stops short of revealing.

El Capitano by Pete Fowler
El Capitano by Pete Fowler

Theme From Boat Weirdos (Extended Version) by Pete Fowler (Curator: Liat chen) will be at The Book Club, 100 Leonard Street, Shoreditch High Street from 3 October – 16 November.

 

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