London’s Underdog Gallery is to present a solo exhibition by British pop surrealist artist Michael Forbes.

Opening on Friday 2nd March from 6.00pm to 10.00pm, the solo exhibition showcases original paintings and limited edition prints.

As always, entry to this art show is free, so feel free to pop in and enjoy the hard work Michael has put in to produce over 25 original artworks, which will be on display in the gallery until Sunday 18th March 2018.

The excellent Brewdog will Be providing great beers for the first 100 guests.

“Don’t let a little bit of frozen rain keep you from an excellent night out,” say the team. “The art is looking amazing!

“We also have a great playlist from the artist himself.”

At the after party there will be live music from Admiral Sir Cloudsley Shovel, and Jack , Underdog’s resident DJ, who will be entertaining revellers until late.

Described by Ricky Gervais as “may be a little bit mental… but in a good way”, Michael Forbes is an almost entirely self-taught Pop Surrealist artist, who lives in an isolated area in the north of the Scottish Highlands.

He worked as an assistant to Pop artist Gerald Laing in his youth, from whom he “learned more from… than any art school education could provide.’’

Michael’s paintings are an extraordinary visual record of his thoughts and dreams, often journeying into the subconscious. His work shows a magical and playful, dream-like world laced with humour and pop-culture.

Michael can count a number of celebrities as fans of his work, including Madonna, Ricky Gervais and Terry Gilliam (who described him as “surreal, mischievous, wryly sweet… and chockablock with wit and wonder”).

He was selected to paint the Millennium poster for the London Underground, which is on show at the Museum of London Transport, and was also selected to represent the future of animal painting in the 2007 Blue Cross exhibition ”Animals in Art” opened by the Queen.

This show allowed Forbes to exhibit with every major British artist from Gainsborough to Hockney at Sotheby’s. He has shown alongside all the major Pop artists, including Warhol, Lichtenstein and Indiana at the Opera Gallery exhibition ”In the Mood for Pop” on New Bond Street London.

Michael was the first artist to have a private exhibition of his work at The Club at the Ivy in London, taking over the entire top floor, in an exhibition curated and organised by Terry Gilliam’s daughter Holly. His work is currently on show in New York at Pop Gallery in Manhattan, where he regularly exhibits with artists better known for their music, such as Ringo Starr, Ronnie Wood and most recently Bob Dylan.

• Follow the Facebook event for updates on this exhibition

• Michael Forbes: Come and have a Peek 2nd – 185h March 2018 The Underdog Gallery, Arch 6, Crucifix Lane, London Bridge SE1 3JW Web: www.theunderdog.london | Opening Times: Monday: CLOSED; Tuesday: 11am – 11.30pm; Wednesday: 11am – 11.30pm; Thursday: 11am – 11.30pm; Friday: 11am – 01.00am; Saturday: 11am – 01.00am; Sunday: 11am – 22.30

Times may vary slightly due events held during the day and in the evenings, please check Underdog’s events and exhibitions page for the latest information

• BBC News: How Batman helped me cope with anxiety

Michael Forbes opens up about his battle with an anxiety disorder. Helping him to cope with the condition has included creating canvases of Adam West’s Batman

John Freeman

The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. He is currently editor of Star Trek Explorer, published by Titan – his third tour of duty on the title originally titled Star Trek Magazine.

Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Babylon 5 Magazine, and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War” and “Dan Dare”.

He’s the writer of “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.

Categories: Art and Illustration, downthetubes News, Events, Exhibitions, Other Worlds

Tags: downthetubes News, Exhibition, Michael Forbes, Underdog Gallery