Artists : kennardphillipps

kennardphillipps is a collaboration between Peter Kennard and Cat Phillipps working since 2002 to produce art in response to the invasion of Iraq. Utilising deprived materials such as newsprint, charcoal and ink, as well as digital collage, the artists address current political upheaval and oppression. In their own words, "We don’t see the work as separate to social and political movements that are confronting established political and economic systems. We see it as part of those movements; the visual arm of protest. We want it to be used by people as a part of their own activism, not just as pictures on the wall to contemplate." The act of re-using existing images and re-presenting them through surreal juxtaposition is inherently subversive. Peter Kennard has been using this technique since the 1970s, first through his images for the Anti-Vietnam movement and then for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. The partnership with Cat Phillips saw them create satirical photomontages that reflect their opposition to war and capitalism such as Photo Op (2007), a photomontage of former prime minister Tony Blair taking a ‘selfie’ in front of an oil explosion; a work of art that "will have a place in history" as stated by The Guardian. Their work has been displayed in many private galleries and institutions and alongside artists of the likes of Ai Weiwei, Grayson Perry, Gerhard Richter, Mona Hatoum and Alfredo Jaar. In 2015 they took part with a large installation piece to Dismaland, Banksy's bemusement park in Weston-super-Mare.