Charles Uzzell-Edwards
![]() |
Charles Uzzell-Edwards[1] (born in South Wales in 1968[citation needed] ) is a graffiti artist known by the moniker "Pure Evil"[1] and is a stablemate of Banksy.[citation needed] He is also the son of Welsh painter John Uzzell Edwards.
Career
Uzzell-Edwards has exhibited globally. In the early 1990s he was one of the designers for Anarchic Adjustment with Alan Brown and Nick Philip and released electronic ambient music on Pete Namlook's FAX label, recording "Octopus" 1, 2 & 3 and "Dada" (under the pseudonym Drum Machine Circle) solo, producing "A New Consciousness" and "Create" 1 & 2 with Pete Namlook, recording "Supergroup" with Thomas Bullock, and "Audio" with Tetsu Inoue and Daimon Beail. The Pure Evil Gallery is run by Uzzell-Edwards and located in Shoreditch, London.[1]
In 2011 Uzzell-Edwards created a special edition of prints to raise money for the victims of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami.[2]
Musical career
Uzzell-Edwards may be best known musically for his breakout hit "Tron" recorded in the late 1990s. The song follows the life journeys of several protagonists, including Jeff Bridges (as the eponymous character in the film "Tron"), the musician's then-roommate Nick, the musician himself, and Jesus. It chronicles their adventures and mishaps throughout one Christmas Day, with the events taking place in San Jose, California. The track showcases Uzzell-Edwards' musical versatility, deftly weaving both ancient and modern musical influences. Electro breaks transition into drum-and-bass, followed by Welsh folk-inspired "easy listening" and deeply felt religious hymn – all woven together by Uzzell-Edwards' hard-hitting rap lyrics.
Uzzell-Edwards' lesser-known musical output includes his work on Pete Namlook's FAX label, such as Octopus 1, 2, 3, Supergroup, A New Consciousness, and Audio.
Solo shows
- 2012
- Pure Evil Deconstructed Nightmares (Pure Evil Gallery, London)
- Pure Evil goes POP! (Corey Helford Gallery, Culver City, USA)
- 2011
- Pure Evil Nightmares (La Cantine De Faubourg, Paris)
- Pure Evil Nightmares (The Scarlett Gallery, Stockholm
- Pure Evil (The Garage, Amsterdam)
- Pure Evil (Cologne)
- The Last Good Time (Pure Evil XOYO)[clarification needed]
- Pure Evil Solo (Pure Evil Gallery)
- 2010
- Pure Evil (Paris)
- Strange Girls (Pure Evil, London)
- 2009
- Pure Evil Gallery (London)
- Dark Carnival (Choque Cultural, São Paulo)
- SoloShow (Amsterdam)
- 2008
- 2007
- SoloShow (FakeSpace, Beijing)
- SoloShow (Pure Evil Gallery, London)
- SoloShow (Truman's Brewery, London)
Group Shows
- 2012
- Urban (Ibiza)
- Unnatural Natural History (Royal West of England Academy, Bristol)
- Bastard Children of Pop (London)
- Group Show (Lebenson Gallery, Paris)
- Pick Me Up (Somerset House, London)
- Art Contemporain Urbain (Angers, France)
- Quick Moves (Mannheimer Kunstverein, Germany)
- Stra-Da (Arthouse 59, Cyprus)
- International Urban Art (Stade De France, Paris)
- Pure Evil + (Crossie, Vienna)
- 2011
- Group Show (Lebenson Gallery, Paris)
- Group Show (Print Club, London)
- Street art (from the Victoria and Albert Museum touring exhibition)
- Blisters Blackout (Print Club, London)
- 2010
- 3 exhibition (Lebenson Galleri, Paris)
- London Calling (Moscow)
- Paste Modernism 2 (Sydney)
- Tiger Translate (Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia)
- Anti Design Festival [where?]
- Wild Fantasies (Stolen Space Gallery, London)
- Bhopal Medical Appeal (Phillips De Pury, London)
- 2009
- 1980 Mobil Box Foundation (Cartier, Paris)
- A Shot in the Dark (Czech Republic)
- Further Complications with Jarvis Cocker (London)
- Go Get your Shinebox (Brooklynite, New York)
- Secret Blisters (London)
- 2008
- Santa's Ghetto (London)
- The Beautiful and the Canned (Brighton)
- Cruel Britannia (Philadelphia)
- Film Friends Forever (London)
- Urban Myth (Culver City, CA)
- Urban (Ibiza)
- Mutate Britain (London)
- International Arts (Belgium)
- Cans Festival 1+2 (London)
- Stella Dore Sebastian (Guinness Gallery, Dublin)
- Not a Penny off the Pay (Bristol)
- Alternativity (London)
- 2007
- Open Studio (London)
- International Arts (Belgium)
- 2006
- Santa's Ghetto (London)
- International Arts (Belgium)
- 2005
- Difusor (Barcelona)
- Paris Stencil Project
Lectures
- 2009 Beautiful Losers ICA London
- 2008 Collecting Street Art Tate Modern London
- 2007 Street Art ICA London
References
- ^ a b c Wilson, Kevin (13 October 2011). "ArtMan: Start your art collection – Prints". LondonLovesBusiness.com. Retrieved 16 September 2012.
- ^ Reyburn, Scott (23 March 2011). "Jenson Button's Ferrari Boxer May Sell for $180,000: Art Buzz". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 16 September 2012.