Imitate Modern - Top 5 Facts on Our Neon Darlings | Spring 2018

You Blow My Mind by Lauren Baker

Neon Wonderland 22nd March - 12th April 2018 Private View: 22nd March, 6-9PM NEON (GREEK ΝΈΟΝ (NÉON), NEUTER SINGULAR FORM OF ΝΈΟΣ MEANING “NEW" Continuing deeper Down The Rabbit Hole to the realm of the neon darlings, Imitate Modern brings you 'Neon Wonderland' a group show of predominantly London based female artists in honour of Women's Month. We will be showcasing British talent working with a medium that crosses the boundaries of scientific principles and artistic expression, whilst comparing the physical fragility of the glass tubes themselves to that of our societal ideologies. With our latest show just around the corner we thought we'd give you a little breakdown of our five favourite neon people's achievements. Please scroll down for the highlights (presented in no particular order).

Lauren Baker  Crystal Tigress by Lauren Baker Lauren Baker has had a whirlwind journey since her life-changing trip to Peruvian jungle. From the first ever infinity mirror coffin commissioned by Clerkenwell Design Week and displayed at the Tate Britain to multiple immersive installations at the RA, Tate Modern and Britain, Lauren has integrated herself as an irreplaceable fixture in the contemporary London art scene. Alongside creating neon art, Lauren works with several other mediums including skulls, prints and lenticular to name but a few. Beyond her artwork she is an ambassador for Save Wild Tigers initiative which she created pieces for, the most notable Crystal Tigress - a life-size tiger head encrusted with 52,000 crystals, which fetched £30,000 at auction. Her most ambitious piece, a Steinway grand piano encrusted with half a million crystals, was sold for £420,000 to an influential sheikh in Qatar.

Half A Roast Chicken 'It Is What It Is' a collaborative piece by Half a Roast Chicken & Brown Sugar  Half A Roast Chicken's work has been shown both sides of the Atlantic, most excitingly at the Museum of Neon in LA, a show in San Francisco and a host of shows in her hometown London. Most recently Eve exhibited “Empowerment" at the Nasty Women exhibit, which was covered by the Evening Standard. Eve's most recent achievement is being commissioned by Nike amongst six other female artists to turn their love of fitness into artworks, with their designs to be put on a new range of workout gear. She's used her signature pink lettering to spell out “Power is Power” in ode to the “power” exercise tights. Being fairly new to the game we are very proud and excited to see where this new young energy goes.

Rebecca Mason 'It's a Wonderful World'  by Rebecca Mason Rebecca Mason is a long time neon artist exploring and exposing the complexities of her own life experiences along side that of the human condition, engaging in light-hearted and humorous examinations of the world, and occasionally delving into the slight sadder darker corners. At the Other Art Fair (2015) Rebecca was approached by the team to do The Green Room takeover - an immersive installation, where visitors could relax and be themselves, tying in with the themes of many lights. With the help of a few artist assistants she formed the Neon Health Service Department of Light Therapy.

Luc Waring Lost Times by Luc Waring Luc Waring has been on our radar since 2013, when Waring had his first major Fine Art show at the Courtauld Gallery, where his work hung alongside works by Monet, Van Gogh and Gauguin. This was the first exhibition in which the Courtauld exhibited living artists, securing a name for Waring in the Fine Art world. A notable collector of his work his is The Dowager Viscountess Rothermere, and Kate Moss, a subject of some of his pieces, is a fan. One of Luc Waring’s pieces has also featured in the tabloids regarding Lindsay Lohan’s break-up scandal. This March Luc collaborated with Not Just Another Store, a unique artist-led concept store in Shoreditch.

Illuminati Neon Hasta La Vista Baby by Illuminati Neon  Creating beautiful, seductive art from their Shepherd’s Bush studio, Illuminati Neon’s work is rooted in the birthplace of punk, drawing on the cultural vibes of West London in order to create artwork that enlightens the world.  Mark Sloper from Illuminati Neon attended art college in Sheffield before diverting his attention for TV and film – his most recent work includes Punk 76 for Sky TV, and Billy Fury for BBC4. As a friend of the almighty Sex Pistols, Mark’s punks roots run deep, and has merged his art credentials with century-old neon to produce beautiful statement art works.