Morley Solo Art Show & Print Release!

LA's own 'sloganeer', Morley, is getting set for his first Solo Art show, I Don't Make Sense Without You.  Although Los Angeles would love to see Morley's exhibition, this first show is located across the pond in London due to its being presented by the esteemed Lazarides' Outsiders division.

If you dig Morley's work but can't make the show, you can snag one of Morley's recently released limited edition prints.  You can pick up Morley's new prints HERE.  Or read the full Morley Art Show press release below.


Morley – I Don t Make Sense Without You  13th July – 18th August 2012 (Private View 6-9pm Thursday 12th July)


California sloganeer Morley will be writ large this  summer with his first ever solo art show, at The 
Outsiders Newcastle gallery.  


Morley began his artistic journey daubing and wheat-pasting encouraging slogans designed to appeal 
directly to the jaded residents of his adopted home city, Los Angeles USA. I promise you you re not just a waitress he urged struggling actresses in need of an identity boost: while the children of the free love 
generation were compelled,   Let s fall in love like our parents aren t divorced. On January 2nd 2012 
beleaguered entertainment industry wannabees making their first commute after the holidays found giant maps  of  LA with  the  legend You are exactly where you need to be.  


But he isn t just community-minded: Morley s an incurable romantic.   I love you because we hate the same stuff and   When I m with you I don t feel awkward dancing to the fast songs are just two examples of his sweet-talking skills. His refreshing, topical philosophy has also struck a chord with LA s most successful residents, and a Morley  mural is the latest poolside must-have.  Morley draws a portrait of himself next to each slogan, demystifying the outdated concept of the outlaw  street artist and breaking down the barriers between him and his constituents: “I wanted my audience to know who it was that was writing to them,” he says. “Rather than a disembodied voice, I wanted them to see the words as coming from a kindred spirit and a comrade in arms. The audience I look to reach is primarily people who think like me and suffer the same doubts and fears. If you re ridiculously attractive and have lived a life free of rejection or the torment of an uncertain future, you re probably not going to  get what I do, and that s okay. Nevertheless, I m often surprised by how universal so many of the things I struggle with are.” 


When confronted by the authorities in the middle of a put-up, he says makes polite apologies and they let him off: “Police generally suspect that someone sneaking around at 2AM with a bucket of glue is up to no good, but in the middle of the day, it s easy to confuse me with someone who s not doing anything 
wrong,” he says. This deferential attitude hasn t stopped Morley from building up a reputation for courage. Some of his bold installs include I love you enough to pick you up from the airport on the Underground platform embarking for Heathrow at London s Piccadilly Circus underground station, during a busy Saturday afternoon. 


While Morley s a humble guy who downplays any status as a fine artist, slogans and text have played a 
surprisingly significant role in modern art, from the Surrealist Rene Magritte s Ceci n est pas une pipe to 
Dada poetry and Pop Art, plus more recently the work of Barbara Kruger or Gilbert and George. In art 
criticism terms, Morley is an example of post-postmodernism eschewing the irony and moral relativism of the past few decades in favour of a stylised and stirring contemporary redux of traditional values.  
Graffiti artists though have employed slogans for millennia, as seen upon Roman ruins. “It took a while for me to convince myself that my words might have value as street art,” says Morley. “Later I discovered that it was precisely what I was insecure about that set me apart from other artists. From a car driving 30 miles-an-hour down a city street, it s difficult to retain much else.” 


Morley s first art show includes canvases bearing slogans ideal for contemplation indoors: some employ 
subtle colours and others are presented on backgrounds consisting of found materials. Slogan art also 
comes on cubed boxes to stand alone.  Especially memorable though are Morley s keepsake boxes – 
assemblage cabinets with glass doors bearing a Morley slogan, painstakingly embellished inside and 
containing sentimental found objects. A wide range of affordable Morley collectibles will also be available.