Polite’s This is Not a Pop-Up

David Shrigley, Peter Blake, Factory Records and Harry Hill form an all-star cast for the Christmas edition of the Hayward Gallery’s This is Not a Pop-Up, er, pop-up shop.

David Shrigley, Visit our Shop
David Shrigley, Visit our Shop

The event sees designers and illustrators take over the gallery’s gift shop for a short time, with this season’s event looking to contemporary artist publishers Polite to run the show.

Polite, founded in 2000 by Jack Jackson, releases art products such as greeting cards, postcards, books and products from artists including Shrigley, Blake, Bob and Roberta Smith and Gavin Turk.

This is Not a Pop-Up will see 12 new Polite products launched, marking the company’s 12th birthday. Those looking for tinselly, bauble-type accoutrements should look elsewhere, however.

We’re promised that no Christmas decorations will be on sale, ‘with the exception of a nine-foot balloon reindeer.’

Harry Hill, Philip Schofield
Harry Hill, Philip Schofield

We’re rather excited to see comedian Harry Hill’s rather surreal, and not all that polite work. He has created a gift box set of postcards My Hobby, taking its name from his exhibition of paintings and sculptures at the Edinburgh Art Festival earlier this year.

Among the bizarre artworks are a depiction of ‘a golden retriever who ruined a Royal wedding and witnessed a presidential assassination’ and, naturally, Loose Women star Coleen Nolan projecting laser beams onto a giant rabbit.

Harry Hill, Duke and Duchess of York
Harry Hill, Duke and Duchess of York

The entire event will be sound-tracked by the marvellous Factory Records, reflecting the Factory graphics and design on sale from the likes of Peter Saville and Jon Savage.

The music theme continues into the line-up of events and signings that the store will host.

These include photographer Kevin Cummins discussing his work photographing Morrissey and The Smiths and signing copies of his book on 14 December, while artist Scott King will be discussing his love of The Jam, music, art and design at his singing on 17 December.

The nine-foot balloon reindeer by Studio Thomson
The nine-foot balloon reindeer by Studio Thomson

In the past we’ve seen the Hayward shop taken over by The Zombie Collective earlier this year, which looked to all things sea-related for inspiration.

This is Not a Pop-Up forms part of the Southbank Centre’s Winter Festival . It runs from 12 December – 11 January at Southbank Centre, Belvedere Road, London, SE1.

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