Brian Eno's HARD ART to Release New Portrait Book and Exhibition

Since November 2022, an eclectic group have been gathering regularly at British musician, record producer and artist Brian Eno’s studio in London. From theatre to comedy, art to faith, economics to philanthropy, this growing cross-section of cultural participants have been collaborating around the themes of race and class inequality, climate and democracy. Welcome to HARD ART.

Later this month, London’s Paul Stolper Gallery will host a fundraising exhibition and book launch featuring a unique portrait series of artworks by HARD ART. Produced in collaboration with award-winning artist and animator, Ian Bruce, the collective invited a number of meteoric figures within the worlds of art, music and design, including Es Devlin, Jeremy Deller, Love Ssega, Cornelia Parker, Gavin Turk, Louis VI, Olivia Douglass, Chris Morris, Fred again.. and more — where Bruce paired members together to recreate each other through a technique called ‘blind contour drawing.’

The method prompts one to draw another without looking down at the page. Bruce followed by coloring in each linear abstraction using crayons, resulting in surreal portraits with meandering facial features. “A clever idea in the hands of a multi-talented artist,” remarked Eno in a statement. “Fascinating stuff!”

The exhibition will be mapped across two days, starting on Friday, May 24 and Tuesday, May 28 from from 10am to 6pm, respectively. Funds raised will benefit HARD ART’s initiative in cultivating bi-monthly sessions where creatives of all walks can converse, sparking dialogues and collaborations centered at the intersection of economics, politics, climate science and technology.

Paul Stolper Gallery
J E Ferris Ltd,
31 Museum St, London WC1A 1LH