Before Encore 6

before encore 6 - An exhibition by John Lee Bird

John Lee Bird marks ten years of his before encore project with an exhibition of 36 new portraits documenting London’s mercurial creative counter-culture at the  20th Century Theatre in Notting Hill.

'before encore' is an ongoing portraiture project in which seminal London artist John Lee Bird documents the influential performers, muses, designers, musicians, poets and artists who exist within the creative spaces between marginal and mainstream popular culture.

2016 sees before encore enter its tenth year and 14th-15th June sees a two day exhibition at London’s 20th Century Theatre of the latest 36 portraits representing a diverse subculture of London’s performance/club/queer/music DIY art scenes.

“It never occurred to me that before encore would still be ongoing after ten years, or that it would take on such a documentary importance in terms of recording what the outsider creative scene looked and felt like at different times. The whole project has gradually defined its own purpose, identity & relevance during the process of creating it, and that feels absolutely, perfectly appropriate given the subject matter,” says Bird.

The exhibition will be a riotous celebration of not only John Lee Bird’s work but also his subjects, with countless musicians & performers from the latest portraits taking the stage, as well as a number of surprise guests from previous phases of before encore.

“I’ve painted many people who are now household names as part of before encore, but it has never been a predictive project. It’s never been a snapshot of the biggest deals at the time, but a representation of how the period felt - the energy, the direction, the possibilities - how that felt to me at the time, through the faces that were there. Yes, there are lots of performers, artists & musicians but there are also bar staff & club kids, because they were as much a part of how everything felt at that point in time.”

The exhibition, which is free and unticketed, runs from 6pm-11pm on Tuesday 14th June & from 12pm-11pm on Wednesday 15th with live performances from 7pm on both nights. Musicians & artists confirmed to perform include Madam, Mikkokoo, The Black Site, Catmilk, Chicken, Sam Amant, Bete Noire, Campbell L Sangster, Thom Shaw, Dale Cornish, Marisa Carnesky, The Budda Cakes, Oozing Gloop , Timberlina & Mr Teds, as well as a number of surprise guest appearances.

before encore 6 sees John Lee Bird working with innovative non-profit arts promotion organisation Sweet ‘Art for the first time.  Directors Corrina Eastwood & Charlotte Elliston are excited about the collaboration:

"We love John Lee Bird's dynamic and honest portrayal of his subjects. His use of colour and bold marks perfectly capture the extroverted excitement but also the nuanced sensitivity of the performance work and characters he documents, as an important and timely social commentary. We are thrilled to be working with him on this anniversary event which is set to be one hell of an arty party!" 

"Sweet Art proved indispensable with my exhibition set up for before encore 6. They kindly advised on all manner of press duties and sorted out virtually every possible listing site known to help spread the word. Coupled with their daily support throughout show dates (where no drama or problem was too big or small to help with - and fix!) they also came with utterly competent and kind volunteers to help man invigilator ranks and trustfully man merchandise counters.

As a solo artist making big shows on a tiny budget this team were all that I could have hoped for. I felt fully supported throughout the whole process and made a few new friends along the way."

- John Lee Bird