cosmo sarson

For his first solo show since he made the headlines with the controversial twenty-eight feet mural of a breakdancing Jesus, Cosmo Sarson has been revisiting his now iconic image in a series of works that seamlessly transpose his street-art style into a traditional gallery setting. 

As well as playing with the Catholic imagery (which includes a Bacon-esque screaming Pope), Sarson found inspiration for the show in Greek Mythology’s gods and monsters, resulting in darker and more dramatic pieces, including a modern take on Caravaggio’s Execution of Saint John the Baptist set in a dark graffiti-covered tunnel. 

Using a mix of traditional mediums and techniques such as oils, charcoals and etchings as well as print and spray paint, Cosmo’s style is interspersed with pixels and dragged paint, turning his classical subject matter into new urban myths and heroes. 

A classically trained artist - he studied Fine Arts at the Byam Shaw School of Art - Cosmo grew up in London surrounded by Hip Hop, skateboarding, breakdancing and graffiti, all of which have strongly influenced his work, together with the paintings of Caravaggio, Manet and Bacon. Blending both traditional and urban cultures, he is constantly exploring and pushing the boundaries between two colliding worlds. 

Cosmo’s graffiti and mural work has appeared in many feature films including World War Z, Children of Men, Edge of Tomorrow, Guardians of the Galaxy and the soon to be released Avengers - Age of Ultron.