Jeff Keen talk at Brighton Museum

By John Freeman on 22 February 2013 • ( 1 )

Tim Pilcher, founder member of the Comic Book Alliance, will be giving a talk on Jeff Keen, how comics influenced his work and how he, in turn, influenced (or at least foresaw) the future of comix, this Saturday (23rd February) at Brighton Museum at 2.00pm.

Artist and film-maker Jeff Keen (1923-2012) was one of the great figures of the British post-war avant-garde. Keen’s work reveals a wild spirit of anarchic play, a fascination with surrealism, and a love of popular culture. His life-long commitment to Brighton & Hove will be celebrated in this display featuring a selection of his films alongside his paintings, drawings, poetry and assemblages.

Keen, who worked for Parks and Gardens for several years, spent most of his artistic career in Brighton and used the city as a major inspiration for his work. He ignored the hierarchies of the London arts scene and the wider world of avant-garde cinema in favour of a radical commitment to locality and intimate community.

Keen’s work focuses lovingly on a close-knit circle of real and imaginary friends at work and at play in and around Brighton & Hove.

• Jeff Keen – Comics and Techno Gazwrx: Full details here on the Brighton Museum page

Related links

• Jeff Keen Installation at Tate Modern

• Work on show at Frith Street Gallery, London

Obituaries

• Lighthouse: www.lighthouse.org.uk/news/r-i-p-jeff-keen

• The Guardian: www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/2012/jun/24/jeff-keen?newsfeed=true

About the Author
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John Freeman

John is the founder of downthetubes, launched in 1998. He is a comics and magazine editor, writer, and Press Officer for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He also runs Crucible Comic Press.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine and Overkill for Marvel UK, Babylon 5 Magazine, Star Trek Magazine, and its successor, Star Trek Explorer, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics; and has edited several comic collections and graphic novels, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”, and Hancock: The Lad Himself, by Stephen Walsh and Keith Page.

He’s the writer of comics such as Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs”, with Dave Hailwood.