‘The Face Off’ is an exhibition of ALL NEW work from super talented, Glasgow based artists Smug and Klingatron.

The show opened on Friday the 5th of June at 6 p.m with a special extended opening party till 10 p.m and will be showing till the 28th June.
Both artists will be traveled down to be here on the night, to meet peeps and talk about their new work.

Smug:

Smug is an Australian born, Glasgow based artist specialising in photo-realistic graffiti.
Since discovering graffiti about ten years ago Smug’s work quickly grew into a perfectionist’s obsession with letters and characters which since moving to the UK has developed into a more photo-realistic style that has been exhibited widely.

Smug’s paintings are meticulously rendered works which draw upon an eclectic range of influences, often making uncomfortable subjects into stunning pieces on canvas and in industrial and abandoned settings which can be seen throughout Scotland and Australia…

Since 2006 Sam has worked on numerous high profile large scale works throughout Scotland, his current commissioned works being a series for Glasgow City Council in promotion of the Commonwealth Games.
This current exhibition is a return to a more photo-journalistic darker style.

Klingatron:

Glasgow born Klingatron began to teach himself how to create stencils as an art form in his final year of Art College around five years ago. It was the answer he was looking for as a young illustration student in order for him to find a way of working that gave him satisfaction he hungered for to capture detail in his art thus making him stand out with which was at the time a very basic knowledge and skill.

He initially started to create stencils due to a continuous frustration with his style of work, which he felt would not stand up against the creations of his influences at the time. Klingatron has since dedicated his attention in developing his style and technique with a blade ultimately producing very delicate and highly intricate stencils that are used only once causing each painting to be unique and completely individual.

Over time, Klingatron’s stencils have become more increasingly detailed meaning that the process takes hours upon hours (sometimes over 100) cutting paper in what he describes as a process that lets him go into a state of near meditation whilst he works for long periods at a time. All the materials he needs include the sheets of paper he cuts his stencils with using a scalpel blade, and of course spray cans for the application of paint is all he needs to create a painting.

From a young age Klingatron would notice and be influenced by the graffiti along the train lines and on the top of buildings in Glasgow but never hit the streets himself.
This appreciation for Graffiti and street art has caused Klingatron to look at his environments in a fresh way that is seen in his work, as his subjects of urban environments are that which many ignore or take for granted. When looking at his paintings not only are you studying the technique and intricate detail of his work but also the viewer begins to also appreciate the subject in a way they may not have realised before.
His work has seen rapid progression and with this Klingatron has exhibited in many group show around Britain including two solo shows as well as displaying his paintings as far as Australia.

All artwork from the exhibition is now available to purchase at our online store