Large scale art and scenery, iconic post-punk photography, limited edition vinyl, music memorabilia.

July 10th – August 22nd 2009

Martin Atkins’ collection of large scale art and extensive memorabilia created and accumulated from over 30 years in the music industry.

From the massive to the minutia, the exhibit features artwork, post-punk photography (shown for only the fourth time in 30 years), along with memorabilia from Atkins’ career working with Public Image Ltd., Killing Joke, Pigface, Sheep on Drugs, Test Department, the Preaching to the Perverted tour, and much more.

The 15 foot high dollar bill backdrops from Killing Joke’s 1989 tour, “Money is Not Our God,” began his use of repetition of images. The small sculpture for Pigface’s 1994 album, Notes from Thee Underground, was created during Atkins’ first weeks sober and begins the juxtaposition of addiction and religious iconography, in turn spawning a stage set covered in Newcastle Brown Ale bottle caps in front of which Pigface performed with Danny Carey from TOOL.

Also on display is red vinyl from China and unique screen printed materials from fabric to perforated blotter acid sheets. You almost forget this guy has a collection of post-punk photographs worthy of a show in their own right including unreleased photos of John Lydon (a.k.a. Johnny Rotten), and yes, some of those will be shown too!

Several of the featured pieces measure 88” high and 39” wide, but Atkins will offer 24” x 17” easy to carry portions of these works to take home – “memorabilia for the masses.”

This amalgam of art and memorabilia will be at Metro Gallery in Baltimore this July with Martin Atkins appearing personally at the opening on July 10th. There will be an open cocktail hour from 7pm to 8pm.