Cal's artwork to go on show at Dudley gallery this weekend Scott Reynolds from Lighthouse Vending, Lye, with Cal's 'self-portrait'.
First published Wednesday 28 November 2012 in Stourbridge News

THOUGHT-provoking work by Norton based conceptual artist Cal is set to go on display in Dudley this weekend.

Skateboard art, paintings, photography, embroidery and installations by the 35-year-old contemporary artist can be seen in The Cal Solo Art Exhibition at artSPACE, King Street, Dudley, from Saturday (December 1).

The artist and keen skateboarder, who moved from Worcester to Stourbridge for its arts and music scene, draws inspiration from personal experiences and reaction to global political injustices, corporate globalisation, poverty and war to craft his unique pieces - one of which is a self-portrait created from a full-sized vending machine.

Cal said: “To my knowledge this is the first time the concept of a vending machine has been used to create a self-portrait.

“I also have plans to develop and explore this concept further in the future.”

The coin operated machine, loaned for the exhibition by Lye-based Lighthouse Vending, is filled with around 60 6” x 5” painted wooden canvasses, priced £5 each.

Running until Saturday December 22, the exhibition includes some of Cal’s early work from as far back as 1996 - offering art fans chance to see how his trademark style has developed through the last decade and a half.

He said: “A lot of my work is protest art. It's about political issues, green issues and world economics - it's not landscapes and portraits; it's a whole gambit of different styles and genres. I make art out of anything.”

The display will be open to the public from 10am to 4pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and from 10am to 5pm on Saturdays from December 1.