20 Nov 2011

Rob and Nick Carter's Postcards From Vegas at The Cat Street Gallery, Hong Kong

The Cat Street Gallery is delighted to present an exhibition of new work — 'Postcards From Vegas' — by the British artistic collaborators, Rob and Nick Carter.

In this show their personal fascination with old postcards sourced throughout childhood, is strikingly combined with their shared passion for sculptural neon. Rob and Nick Carter have created works marrying postcards from the 60s and 70s with vintage neon signs of the type originally found on locations such as casinos, diners, ice cream parlours and motels.

'We've always been fascinated by the gaudy lurid neon signs of Las Vegas and loved the idea of juxtaposing these with the 'readymade' postcards to create different and surprising connotations. The scale of neon has been reduced, while the postcards have been enlarged up to 150 times their original size. The series creates a jarring effect between not only the two forms of advertising, but also the flat photographic surface and the more sculptural neon form. We hope the viewer will create their own narrative and direct response to the work' comment Rob and Nick Carter.

For each piece a 10x8' transparency is first made from a detailed scan of the original 4x6' postcard. A hand print is then created onto Cibachrome paper (the artists own one of only two Cibachrome printers left in the UK), which in turn is mounted onto aluminium. The neon, which has an adjustable dimmer switch so the viewer can control its brightness, is hand bent to replicate the original vintage neon, and overlaid onto the postcard. The result is an intriguing play on place and mood that feels nostalgic, witty and fresh. For this show the artists have created special Hong Kong pieces that feature postcards of old Hong Kong (including views of Happy Valley, The Peak Lookout and trams).

Rob and Nick Carter have been working together for fifteen years. They are married and live and work in London. As contemporary artists their work has involved light, colour and form in many mediums including painting, photography, light installations and film. Their work has recently become part of the V&A's Collection of Cameraless Photography and they have had two solo shows at The Museum of Neon Art in LA and they have shown internationally in New York, Zurich, Geneva, Milan and London. They were shortlisted for the 2007 Sovereign Art Prize and private collectors of their work include Sir Elton John, Kevin Spacey, Matthew Williamson and Jude Law. Nick has been the curator for the prestigious Groucho Club for twenty years.