Pivotal Pop Artist Billy Apple Blurs Boundaries of Art, Life and Commerce
Rossi & Rossi , Wong Chuk Hang 
Why We Recommend it
Influential artist Apple first garnered acclaim producing pop-art paintings alongside the likes of Andy Warhol and Jasper Jones in New York, and this exhibit tracks his creative development from the 1960s onwards.
Description
Born Barrie Bates in Auckland in 1935, Apple moved to New York in 1964, after studying at the Royal Academy in London. He changed his name to Billy Apple, creating the artist-persona he would work with through his long career.
Inspired by a vibrant and bold art scene in his adoptive city, Apple became interested in theme of identity and self-promotion, producing works that were clever as they were idiosyncratic.
By the 1970s onwards, Apple’s works became more conceptual and process-orientated, and from the 80s he incorporated installation and text work into his practice.
In 2007, he registered his name as a trademark, and sought to produce his own commercially-viable breed of apple. These gestures were a testament to his continual resolve to blur the boundaries between art, life and commerce.
Apple will give a talk with Christina Barton, the exhibition’s curator, on 9 June at 3:00 p.m., followed by a reception at the gallery.
Details
When: 9 Jun 2018 - 28 Jul 2018 Where: Rossi & Rossi – 6 Yip Fat Street, 3/F Yally Industrial Building – Wong Chuk Hang
