A major exhibition of Storm Thorgerson's fantastic work has just been announced. This represents the first showcase of Storm’s artwork since his stroke at the opening night of his Paris Pink Floyd "Interstellar" exhibition last year (reviewed in detail elsewhere on this site).

The exhibition will be held from September 21st until October 9th 2004 at the John Martin Gallery in Chelsea, off Kings Road, London (full address details below).

Storm Thorgerson, first with Hipgnosis (formed in 1968) and then later in his own right, is the artist behind the images synonymous with identifying the pop culture of the 70’s throughout and into the Millennium (eg Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Division Bell, Houses of the Holy).

Creating visually beautiful and thought-provoking art, Storm’s work has featured on a variety of single, album and CD covers, as well as posters, and collected in books including "Eye of the Storm", "Mind over Matter" and "Walk Away Renee". Storm’s distinctive style has made his artwork one of the most recognisable in the music industry. He is responsible for the iconic images we associate with bands like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, The Cranberries, Black Sabbath, Peter Gabriel, and 10cc amongst others.

In 1985 Hipgnosis ceased to exist, but undeterred, Storm went solo and continued directing music videos. His direction for the Pink Floyd video "Learning to Fly" won the best director award at the American Billboard Awards. Storm’s work extended into documentaries, such as the two-part "Art of Tripping" for Channel 4 in 1993 which explored the connections between artists and drugs and included some new music from David Gilmour. The following year, Storm directed for Pink Floyd six short films to be screened through the duration of their world tour.

The distinctive and edgy style of Storm Thorgerson Art has an element of "performance" to it. The Artist visualises the concept, creates the imaginative scene and then captures it through photography - the ‘temporary installation’ is caught through the camera and then it is gone, leaving behind a photograph as the only evidence of the occurrence, which is what appears on the album cover. Storm takes joy in engaging the audience to provoke a reaction - is it reality or is it fantasy?

STORM: "I like photography because it is a reality medium, unlike drawing which is unreal. I like to mess with reality. Bend reality. Some of my works beg the question of is it real or not? I use real elements in unreal ways. Is the man really on fire? Why would he just be standing there? Who put the beds on the beach? Why? Why is there a cow on the cover? It doesn’t have anything to do with the album, or does it? A boxer dog in designer boxer shorts on a beach?

"Incongruity. I like to create things that are unlikely (dog in designer shorts), unbelievable (beds on a beach) and unacceptable (setting a man on fire). Make people doubt what they see. How real is real? My work triggers sufficient interest in what it ‘is’ and makes people ask what it ‘means’." --- Storm Thorgerson, private interview, 2004

A complete set of limited edition prints will be available to view at www.jmlondon.com. These are a selection of Pink Floyd and other prints, wonderfully produced and would make great display items.

Gallery details:

John Martin Chelsea
6 Burnsall Street
Off Kings Road
London SW3 3ST

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7351 4818
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7351 2351

Gallery Hours:
Tuesday - Friday, 10 - 6pm
Saturdays 11 - 4pm

Getting there: John Martin Chelsea is situated in a former warehouse building off the Kings Road.

By Car: Burnsall Street is a one-way street with entry from both Astell Street and Godfrey Street off Chelsea Green. Best parking is at Marks and Spencer on the King's Road.

By Foot or Bus: Burnsall Street is about half way down the Kings Road between Markham Square and the Chelsea Cinema; on the corner of Choys Chinese Restaurant and Vodafone. Buses: 11,22,19 to Chelsea Town Hall

By Tube: Sloane Square or South Kensington.

Our thanks to Robin at Media Contemporary Arts for her generous assistance...