Contemporary art gallery Firstsite in Colchester will be showcasing work by Gee Vaucher starting this month. It’s a timely happening – Gee’s artwork for Tackhead’s 1989 album Friendly As A Hand Grenade was today used as the cover illustration for The Mirror‘s response to Donald Trump’s election victory. See the album artwork here and above and the Mirror front page here
Including the album covers that she made for Crass, the exhibition will feature a complete roundup of her entire work, starting from the 1960s. Most of her work has never been shown in public and her work is shaped by her political engagement in the 60s and 70s. Her work is comprised of a range of media, from collage; paintings; video; sculpture; prints; drawings and photography.
Although Vaucher is most well known for her work for Crass, Jon Savage has commented that a book could be written on her contribution to the punk aesthetic. Without forgetting her artwork for the band, the exhibition will feature their 1978 album cover The Feeding of the Five Thousand.
Firstsite director Sally Shaw says that the venue is “delighted and privileged to be holding the first major retrospective of Gee Vaucher’s work… not least because of her strong connections with Essex.” Published by the gallery itself, an illustrated catalogue will accompany the exhibition. The exhibition begins on November 12 and runs until February 19. For more information, click here.
