Renowned artist and designer Ben Kelly will be hosting his first exhibition at London’s Jealous gallery this September.
Kelly, who designed the interiors of the legendary Manchester nightclub The Haçienda in the 1980s, will be presenting some of his recent paintings and prints, produced over the past three years.
This new exhibition, called PRINTS, PAINTINGS, POLES, will run from September 5 to 28. It brings together new screen prints created in the Jealous studio, along with a reimagining of one of his most recognisable designs: a series of three-metre-long poles, first created for the Preen by Thornton Bregazzi AW19 fashion show.
Kelly is one of the UK’s most influential designers. A graduate from the Royal College of Art, he is cited by the Visual Dictionary of Interior Architecture and Design as a “hugely influential interior designer”.
He launched his career when he designed the storefront for Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s Seditionaries boutique store. Later, McLaren asked him to refurnish a basement rehearsal room for the Sex Pistols in London’s Denmark Street; in 1977, he was arrested with both of them when the police raided the Pistols’ Silver Jubilee cruise.
He converted The Haçienda in 1982 from a yacht showroom, keeping the red-brick façade, large iron doors and inner columns – something Historic England has listed as one of the 100 places that tell the remarkable story of England and its impact on the world.
Over the course of his career, he has worked across the UK, Europe, and Asia. In addition to his work on The Haçienda, the Sex Pistols, and Westwood, his studio has produced work for Virgil Abloh, London’s leading museums including the V&A, and the Design Council.
Today, he’s also a Royal Designer for Industry (RDI), a professor in interior design at Kingston University, and a visiting professor in interior sesign at the Royal College of Art.
Jealous gallery, September 5-28. More information here.
