JAMES MYLNE (BRITISH B. 1981)
Hepburn gag
signed James Mylne (lower right); numbered (lower left)
giclee print
image: 66 x 49 cm
frame: 101 x 79 cm
framed
ARR

Subverting images of vintage celebrities & ideas of classical beauty is very typical of Mylne’s recent works.

This artwork is a giclee print after a photo-realistic drawing by Mylne completed in black and red ballpoint pens (BIC Biros). It is a departure from Mylne's previous drawings of Audrey Hepburn and evoked a controversial response.

Mylne was inspired after viewing Ray Dario’s Photoshopped image of Hepburn, in which the ball gag had been added. Mylne drew the original version of this print, working from a small online image. This drawing took just over three weeks to complete at a size of 50 x 40 cm in July 2013.

Following this Mylne released a limited edition of 80 Giclee prints of the artwork at a larger size of 80 x 60 cm. In July, 2015 Mylne was commissioned by a London nightclub group to produce large artworks for a warehouse party and resultantly another larger version was produced, this time printed on canvas (150x110cm, AP 1/2).

After a very positive response to the work, Mylne hand finished the large piece with pink Krink ink (in the form of a heart in the upper left quadrant) before entering it into a summer group show in Notting Hill. It was then exhibited in Ibiza for the annual Urban In Ibiza event organized by Paul Dizzi Saunders from Notting Hill gallery Westbank Gallery. It was exhibited alongside Banksy, RYCA, Snik, & Elmo Hood.

The artwork has now gone onto a range of designer clothes by a new fashion label called Tailored Anarchy. This is great timing as there has been a bit of demand for T-shirts with the artwork on (see comments below). The designers have first made a sweatshirt/jumper with it on which launched on the catwalk at the Urban In Ibiza event mentioned above.

In April 2018, Mylne partnered with one of the world leaders in lightboxes to create a polaroid format high specification LED lightbox artwork as the final rendition of Hepburn Gag.