Freya Pocklington: Hot Dogs and Problem Pets at Breese Little Art Gallery

Freya Pocklington’s second solo exhibition at Breese Little Gallery in Clerkenwell follows her 2013 show in the same space (Wolves Find Dogs Delicious) and stays true to the theme of dogs, exploring further the role of pets in modern day society. Big, bold and packed with colour, there is a  childlike element to her style, which inspires a very pure delight in the mix of colour, level of detail and mish-mash of imagery that make up her work.  But although the paintings have a childish element to them, they are certainly not naïve – there is an undeniable sophistication of emotion to this exhibition.

Pocklington uses layers of paint and pastels to give her pieces depth; there are often blurred or darker figures hiding behind the focus, and a striking vibrancy. Delicate pastel strokes are used to give animals their fur and the contrast against ominous black backgrounds creates an almost neon effect. In The Vicar, His Sister, His Ex Wives, Some Sausage Dogs and Sausages, the human subjects are bursting with character and personality, the dogs are cartoonish and loveable and the two are patched together to create a wonderfully and strangely magnetic story.

The paintings are filled with humour, each piece contains the artists feet, as is she is standing over her work, contemplating what to add next. Her juxtaposition of animals and hot dogs with faces are funny and also serve to highlight the absurdity of the simultaneous personification of pets and disassociation of the implications of eating meat. Pocklington uses a collage effect to create her work, cutting and pasting inspiration from magazines and newspapers, and creating impressively large pieces in only one day. The work is immediate and inspiring, and anyone who loves art that is assured, colourful and humorous is encouraged to check this out; onlookers will certainly leave with smiles on their faces.

Angela Logan

Freya Pocklington: Hot Dogs and Problem Pets is at Breese Little Art Gallery from 23rd April until 16th May 2015, for further information visit here.

For further information about Freya Pocklington visit here.