NORMAN GEKKO
By preferring to remain incognito, little is known of the artist Norman Gekko. However we certainly recognise the uniqueness of Gekko's art. Deploying recycled materials to render images borrowed from popular and classical culture; Gekko blends playful humour with biting criticism to create a signature style. From the symbolically crushed flags to the oil drum Chanel, from the oversized Vuitton handbags to the trash can trompe-l'oeils: Gekko is building up a striking iconography of 21st century society.
The sheer breadth of topics that receive the 'Gekko treatment' is impressive - pollution ("Dead Planet"), luxury lifestyles ("Loaded Lux"/ "Identity Badges"/ "Distinguishing Marques"), pornography ("Choking Hazard"), ecology ("Beehives"), politics ("Totalitarian Trash"), pharmacology ("1st Responders") - with no aspect of modern life escaping the critical eye of this artist.
Yet, by juxtaposing a playful title with a serious subject, or by contrasting the material used (tin cans and waste objects) with the finished product (luxury goods), we see that it is the notion of contradiction that truly lies at the heart of Gekko's work. Simple imagery to present complex issues, primitive materials to create a thing of beauty - this is the art of Norman Gekko.
