Brent Biennial: Dawn Mellor, Kingsbury Road

The first permanent public artwork by British artist Dawn Mellor will be presented on Kingsbury Road: a large- scale mural celebrates the life of local hero George Michael, who lived and went to school in the area.

Influenced by the traditions of mural painting, Mellor has produced a montage depicting different moments of the singer-songwriter’s life and career, which are taken from a wide range of imagery including iconic music videos spanning the early years of Wham! to his subsequent solo successes, as well as key portraits of the artist. Mellor’s personal response to the artist both celebrates and explores him as a pioneering cultural and LGBTQ+ figure.

The artist transforms their subjects via iconoclastic interventions which reflect the darkly obsessive facets of fan culture and fame; and the many roles assigned to celebrities.

The work is co-commissioned by Studio Voltaire, Create London and Brent 2020, London Borough of Culture.

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Dawn Mellor lives and works in London. Dawn Mellor is known for their portraits of celebrities and public figures. They have had numerous solo exhibitions in London, New York, Venice, and Brussels.

Recent publications include Sirens by Dawn Mellor (Montez Press, 2019) and recent solo exhibitions include Sirens, Team Gallery, New York, (2017), What Happened to Helen, Focal Point Gallery, Southend-on-Sea, (2013), An Ecstasy of Purpose, Studio Voltaire, London (2010) and at The Migros, and Museum fur Gegenwartskunst, Zurich (2008). Their work has been shown at the Kunstverein Hamburg, Hamburg, Germany; The Contemporary Art Centre Vilnius, Vilnius, Lithuania; Limerick City Art Gallery, Limerick, Ireland; Museum Arnhem, Arnhem, Netherlands; MoMA P.S.1, Long Island City, New York; and Tate Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom.

Photography courtesy of Benedict Johnson