Luc Waring: Who Do You Think You Are? at Imitate Modern ǀ Exhibition review

The latest exhibition at Imitate Modern is a series of pieces by Luc Waring, the upcoming artist formerly known as Artmani. A relative newcomer to the art scene, Waring’s first success was his photographic reworking of Paul Gauguin’s Te Rerioa (1897), which featured in the Courtauld Gallery’s Stories of the World exhibition in early 2011.

Working across the mediums in a style visibly influenced by both street and pop art, the bold pieces featured in Who Do You Think You Are? confront the viewer,  asking them to question celebrity culture and the other obsessions that plague modern society. The exhibition includes some of Waring’s most notable pieces to date, such as Coke Diet, a design incorporating the image of supermodel Kate Moss and playing on the popular soft drink logo.

Recycled imagery is rife in Waring’s work and Hopeless revisits Shepard Fairey’s iconic Obama poster. Other pieces such as Bombing for Peace also rely on slogans, however, these feel too familiar as the inspirations behind the pieces are so overt (Andy Warhol, Banksy, Jake and Dinos Chapman) that the viewer might find themselves questioning exactly where the originality lies.

In a set of three pieces entitled Play Boy, Disney’s Snow White becomes a Playboy-style cover star with her breasts exposed and her bright red lips pouting.  It is evident that the social issues highlighted in many of the pieces are of genuine interest to the artist, and the exhibition proves Waring’s talent as a painter.

While there are a couple of pieces in the show that seem out of place, overall the exhibition is an impressive introduction to the works of an artist at the beginning of, what is likely to be, an exciting and varied career. Who Do You Think You Are? is recommended to those interested in street art or works exploring contemporary culture.

Melanie Weaver
Photos: Laramie Shubber

Luc Waring: Who Do You Think You Are? is at Imitate Modern until 10^th August 2013. For further information visit the gallery’s website here.