Jack White Opens His Debut Art Show in London

Summary

• Jack White presents These Thoughts May Disappear, his debut art exhibition, at Damien Hirst’s Newport Street Gallery
• Running through September 13 in London, the show features new and archival installations, sculptures and design pieces, spotlighting White’s lesser known upholstery and sculptural practice

Before The White Stripes or the founding of his label, Third Man Records, Jack White had an upholstery shop. Opened at just 21, the space was steeped in yellow, white and black — a tightness of palette that would later define his career.

At Damien Hirst‘s Newport Street Gallery in London, the multidisciplinary White invites audiences to explore the full scope of his artistic universe. On through September 13, These Thoughts May Disappear marks his first public art outing and features an array of new and archival found object sculptures, interactive installation and furniture pieces.

With a visual art practice largely kept private, the six-gallery show delves into his upholstery background and an aesthetic he calls “Hardware Store Art,” a mix of carpentry, upholstery, assemblage and reappropriation.

Can’t-miss moments include makeshift backyard anchored by the towering, 30-foot “The Red Tree,” alongside a spread of furniture inspired by mid-century modernism and Detroit Cass Corridor greats. To close out the show, White tapped six artists to put their own spin on the Fender Pano Verb amplifiers, the model White designed for Fender in 2024: Ai Weiwei, Shepard Fairey, Dustin Yellin and more.

“When people get to know you for music, they might not want you to do any other art form. It can leave a bad taste in people’s mouth,” White explained in a recent interview with Artnet “This has always been part of my universe. I’m just letting people come into my shop a little bit.”

These Thoughts May Disappear is now on view in London.