Tom Kitching, 'Tainted'. The Canon Remixed.

2020 is proving to be a great year for a gallery in York, UK.

'Dilemmas for a New Decade', a duo show from award winning Scottish artist Colin Brown and Outsider artist Chris Main, brought collectors from around the UK. 'Horizons', a series of contemporary depictions of the North East coast from internationally collectible artists David Baumforth, Freya Horsley, and Patrick Smith, saw our gallery director Ails McGee pick up the paint brushes for the first time in over a decade, producing a collection already snapped up collectors.

'Tainted' is artist Tom Kitching's debut exhibition in York. A First Class Honours graduate from the University of Teesside, his work is filtered through his North East working class experiences, interfusing mischief and elegant nihilism with classical compositions from the pastoral or Renaissance tradition. Thus we get a Constable-esque landscape adorned with the golden arches of a McDonalds; a Georgian assembly room with dancers warming up to the flashing lights of a DJ booth with 'Dance & Danceability'; ancient Greek philosophers trying to cheer each other up with balloon party tricks in 'Balloons Used to Make You Happy'.

These replicas of canonical classics provide a dark, witty and collectible alternative to the pantheon of dead artists. Building on the groundswell of critical praise garnered in North East underground exhibitions such as Picasso Baby, Pineapple Black and Disgraceland, 'Tainted' shows an artist at the top of his game and is a timely reappraisal of the pantheon of Great Artists. It is an opportunity for collectors to visit York and peruse an exhibition that reflects what York as a modern city does best: dovetailing heritage with edgy, energetic swagger.

Check 'Tainted' from Tom Kitching here: https://accordingtomcgee.com/collections/tom-kitching or come over to According to McGee gallery. We're open every day, 11am - 5pm (Mon - Sat) / 1pm - 4pm (Sunday), we welcome browsers and collectors alike. 

'Tainted' runs from 29th February to 9th March 2020.