Charles Jeffrey, the Glaswegian designer, illustrator and creative, is NOW Gallery’s third fashion commission. Charles’ first solo exhibition, THE COME UP will be an interactive and three-dimensional representation of the Charles Jeffrey LOVERBOY brand and cult club night.

Based around Charles’ renowned illustrations, THE COME UP will explore these artworks amplified via new media. Showcased in a three-dimensional format, the exhibition will act as a manifestation of Charles’ mind. Charles’ emotive and vibrant illustrations will be interpreted afresh through large sculptural pieces that will hang from the gallery’s seven-meter ceiling. The sculptures will be a mix of PVC, fibreglass, chicken wire with papier-mache, and electrical tape, varying greatly in size.

As part of the installation, a series of shelves filled with mixed media artistic materials will be the setting of an interactive experience that will invite visitors to open up their alter egos and let creativity take over. Starting with a representation from Charles himself, the three month long installation will provide an opportunity for the visiting community to progress the structural artwork until it is complete. This relates back to a signature part of Charles’ illustrative work – repeated faces – as at the end, the installation will become a physical representation and exploration of the realm of identities and many faces who have been welcomed into the gallery to interact with THE COME UP, much like those who attend a LOVERBOY club night.

THE COME UP (2017) Trailer
Charles Jeffrey – The Come Up
Film by Robert Fox (www.robertfox.world)
Produced by Lily Rose Thomas
Starring: Harry Smart, Jeanie Crystal, Lewis Burton, Jender Anomie, Lyall Hakaraia, Kevin Le Grand 

Charles Jeffrey:
“With this project I’m exploring some of the ideas and forces in my life – and so many others’ lives – that couldn’t be more seismic. Interconnectivity, nightlife, the idea of clubs as safe spaces, identity, imagination…There’s a huge amount of very personal work going into it, and I couldn’t be happier about working with NOW Gallery on this!”

Hailed as ‘the ringleader of London’s next generation of kids clubs’, Charles Jeffrey has rapidly become one of the most talked-about names in fashion – with an LVMH Prize nomination and creative collaboration with John Galliano under his belt. His LOVERBOY brand encompasses a fashion label and a cult club night, with each informing the other. It is this renowned night that has informed THE COME UP, a fusion of art, illustration and fashion that aims to create a space within NOW Gallery that welcomes self-articulation, working towards building a new culture amongst the Peninsula’s community.

Jemima Burrill, curator of NOW Gallery:
“NOW Gallery is committed to presenting the opportunity for an outstanding contemporary fashion designer to create new unprecedented work expanding their creative practice in a gallery setting. Phoebe English and Molly Goddard captivated audiences with their installations for the NOW Fashion Commission in 2015 and 2016. The addition of Charles Jeffrey this November and his formidable vision reminds us of the power of the creative mind, that fashion is a way of looking at the world, and Charles Jeffrey will expand his view into a gallery installation with attitude and personal intention.”