Edgy urban art on show at Weston-super-Mare

A picture with a £25,000 price tag depicting gunman Raoul Moat has gone on sale at a Weston-super-Mare art gallery.

It is part of the Apocalypse exhibition of contemporary art staged by local artist Jamie Paul Scanlon which opened this week. 

Hundreds of people attended the VIP opening night at Regent Studios which takes viewers out of their comfort zone and into a pictorial war zone.

The pre-publicity blurb by the urban street artist who goes by the moniker JPS said: "Those who remain ignorant and silent on the problems in the world will scream the loudest when the Apocalypse arrives."

The 35-year-old 'bad boy' of the North Somerset art world who four years ago was a down-and-out with a drug and alcohol problem said he is beginning to turn his life around since becoming curator of the gallery.

The images of mass murderers nestle with war paint(ings) and a real shady area featuring stencils of rap singer Eminem.

But JPS is most proud of his Dead Rising selection which includes juxtaposition caricatures of infamous killers like the Northumberland murderer and Norwegian Anders Breivik who committed the scandinavian island massacre.

The Moat painting, which won JPS the title of alternative artist 2012 with Bizarre Magazine didn't sell on the first night but several pieces did and JPS said he was pleased with the fantastic turnout.

A batty Batman, money markets, Japanese man in tattooed waistcoat, Winston Churchill armed with a machine gun and nuns in gas masks are among the other 'works of art' on show.

Thought-provoking fellow artist Mason Storm who was wearing a black balaclava with eye slits for the preview offered his work for £3K plus with an invitation 'to buy and burn' if you didn't approve.

He was much in demand to sign his 'freebie' posters.

Also on display were pictures of an African American man in a KKK robe next to an evil looking cardinal and fallout from nuclear bombs.

One visitor said: "This is a far cry from the chocolate box images people in North Somerset usually buy."

However, mingling in the mayhem are some really talented drawings with price tags from hundreds to thousands of pounds.

Just inside the doorway is an original dollar bill artistically defaced by none other than the elusive Banksy and an inner room contains three original works by Andy Warhol, one of which is usually signed by the American pop artist.

Back in North Somerset John Man's work features scenes of desolate railway stations painted on old train tickets mostly in black and white.

More than 50 international artists are taking part in the show which runs for the 12 days before Christmas.

JPS is a former Broadoak School pupil who dropped out of art classes at Weston College way back when but has now put his life back on track.

Three other Weston artists Lilz, Ali Hurden and Dr K are exhibiting alongside former Grange Hill actor Terry Sue Patt; Devon collective Arts Anonymous; Londoners Stik and Cartrain; Free Humanity from America; Grunta from New Zealand and 2piu2design from Italy.

Several pieces by popular street artist My Dog Sighs are also included.

The exhibition is open Monday to Saturday, 9am-4pm until Christmas Eve, Monday, December 24.

This exhibition at Oxford Place follows a successful May show called Resurrection.