One of Ben Ashton’s unique Princess Julia hand-painted plates on sale at the House of Voltaire pop-up shop. Image courtesy of Simon Oldfield Gallery
❚ PRINCESS JULIA, deejay, former Blitz Kid and a work of living art in daily life, has now been immortalised in the form of a pair of hand-painted ceramic plates. They are newly created by 27-year-old Slade graduate Ben Ashton, a painter and performance artist whose themes include celebrity and voyeurism. The plates go on sale priced £1,250 each in a pop-up shop being run by Studio Voltaire, a not-for-profit independent arts organisation that provides education and studio space in London. Throughout the month, familiar faces from the arts and fashion worlds will be fronting the shop. Julia herself plans to attend on Sunday 21st.
An exclusive edition of canvas bags with leather details, £120, by Stefania Pramma is available through Studio Voltaire online
The House of Voltaire is a fund-raising outlet open until Dec 4 in the heart of Mayfair selling a diverse selection of limited editions and original pieces by leading contemporary artists. Gift notions include creative Christmas cards by Cary Kwok, editioned T-shirts by Clunie Reid, lambswool blankets by Renee So, a David Noonan screenprint and splendid canvas tote bags by Darbyshire & Spooner.
Studio Voltaire produces portfolios and affordable editions (£50-£100 per print) of such artists as Linder, Cerith Wyn Evans, Spartacus Chetwynd, Mark Titchner, Dawn Mellor, Daniel Sinsel, Ryan Gander, Hilary Lloyd and Mark Leckey. These are on sale through the Studio’s online gallery.
For Ashton himself the portraits of Julia are the start of a year-long collaboration with other creative talents in The Bloomsbury Studio, a subsidised space opened in 2008 by Simon Oldfield, a 32-year-old former lawyer turned gallerist. Part of his gallery’s profits go to support charitable organisations such as the Whitechapel Gallery and the Contemporary Art Society in its centenary year.
➢ House of Voltaire pop-up shop — Upstairs at Rupert Sanderson,
19 Bruton Place, London W1 (Nov 11-Dec 4, Mon–Sat 11am-7pm, Sun 12-6pm)
➢ Studio Voltaire online gallery and shop
➢ Inquire about Ben Ashton’s work through the Simon Oldfield Gallery where he has a solo show Feb 11-March 19
At the pop-up House of Voltaire: unique works donated by painters such as Joel Croxson, left, and silkscreened 100% cotton T-shirts by Clunie Reid
➢ Watch artist Ben Ashton live in his Bloomsbury studio
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