Fine Art Collector | Autumn 2015

idely recognised as one of themost successful and talented graffiti artists of his generation, Temper’s inaugural ‘ cover:versions ’ collection for Castle Galleries caused a sensation in 2014, and nowhis latest work ismakingwaves, hitting the galleries with his inimitable street style graffiti. Like his previous collection, he harnesses the iconography and graffiti reproduction of albumcover art, (often re- garded bymodern art collectors as the ultimate example of classic late twentieth century artistic innovation in terms of style, inspiration and typography) and this time takes on the legendary 1967 Beatles album. “Albumcovers were like an art gallery tome as a child, they had amagic about them that would transport me to another place. It providedmewith a playground for my creativity and imagination,” explains Temper, whose grittyworking class upbringing have given his graphic, edgy graffiti art an authentic urban realism. “When I was a child, my grandad used to carefully unfold cigarette packets and then flatten themout so that I could drawon them. That was the only time I ever got to drawas a kid” says Temper who never had any formal art education. Obsessively studying sleeve artwork on vinyl records, he absorbed himself into thewhole experiencewhilst listening to themusic, then honing his aerosol skills from the age of ten, spraying tags, bubble letters and figurative images on disused railway lines and factory units. Hewould be the first to acknowledge that he has come a longway! looked back! Following a critically acclaimed collection last year, his ambitious new creation reinterprets the famous Beatles album cover of the Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band LP, designed by the artist Peter Blake. It’s an audacious move that works – exactly as you would expect from this Midlands boy made good R The graffiti artist Temper (aka Arron Bird) first picked up a spray can at the age of 10 and hasn’t

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