Jelly babies, heart-shaped grenades, crystal covered piglets: Apopalyptic launches at Halcyon Gallery

On Till April 25th Apopalyptic will open at Halcyon Gallery, Mayfair, displaying Mauro Perucchetti’s unique blend of Pop and Conceptual art in his first major London solo show.

Mauro matches social critique with Pop aesthetics in his art, and this new exhibition demonstrates his astonishing technical skill, style and wit. A Pop Artist for the 21st Century, Mauro’s work incorporates familiar icons of today’s culture, from life-sized diamond encrusted Oscar figures to the Statue of Liberty sitting astride a missile.

Both a master craftsman and a social commentator with his finger on the pulse of contemporary society, Mauro produces innovative and beautifully executed work with a message. Doorway to Heaven reveals this approach, as an exquisitely designed door opens to reveal a wall of knives, while his work entitled Press Cuts takes a cynical look at the power of the media, with Claymore swords bearing newspaper mastheads.

Apopalyptic also sees the return of one of the recurring motifs in Mauro’s oeuvre, the jelly baby, which perfectly embodies his style and ethos. Each of these giant figures is perfectly moulded, and composed of light-reflecting resin with an impressive depth of colour. Polyurethane resin is highly unstable, and Mauro has devoted years to manipulating the material, and perfecting a technique which allows him to use the liquid on such a large scale. Although each jelly baby is unique in production, the topical issue of cloning is immediately brought to mind, whether Mauro is depicting members of a family, Buddha or Chairman Mao.

Mauro comments: ‘I have put everything into making art. I hope that people will connect with the messages and ideas in my work – and above all I want to put the ‘art’ back into conceptual art. I am inspired by the Masters, and driven by a desire to continually perfect my process, technique and style.’

Based in London, Mauro has achieved international acclaim in recent years with a range of solo and group shows across Europe.
Apopalyptic will be exhibited at Halcyon Gallery to 25 April 2009.
www.halcyongallery.com