Photo Credit: Bill Kelly
In January, iconic singer-songwriter, producer, author, activist, actor, and TV personality Elvis Costello will add another feather to his cap with his first-ever visual art appearance. After five decades of advancing bold new sounds in pop, alternative rock and punk, Costello’s creative impulses have constantly flowed out towards new frontiers, taking new forms in such leftfield projects as 1993’s The Juliet Letters, 2013’s Wise Up Ghost with The Roots or his opera in-progress on Hans Christian Andersen and P.T. Barnum. Today, in partnership with Wentworth Gallery, the artist remarks on his latest venture: “In a manner of speaking, these images are closing a circle.”
Costello’s visual works will be presented in two Wentworth Gallery venues, both situated in South Florida. The artist will appear alongside his creations for two nights, first appearing at Hollywood, Fla.’s Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on Jan. 10 from 7-9 p.m., then heading to Raton Town Center Mall on the following evening from 6-8 p.m.
“Much like his music, Costello’s artwork challenges norms and invites deeper interpretation, revealing the same spirit that defines his career,” offers Christian O’Mahony, Principal at Wentworth Gallery. “His upcoming debut at Wentworth Gallery represents an exciting chapter, merging his musical legacy with his burgeoning presence as a painter. As he continues to surprise, confound and amuse. This artistic expansion underscores his multifaceted talents, making his journey from music to visual art a natural evolution.”
Costello himself elucidates the impulses that guided this creative development in a thorough and earnest artist statement, recalling his well-honed retrospective mode from his 2015 memoir Unfaithful Music & Disappearing Ink. Here, he writes, “The more personal nature of this work is undeniable. It was begun while sitting vigil in my mother’s critical stroke-recovery ward in 2018; I was unable to listen to music for fear of missing her attempts to communicate and unwilling to risk disturbing other patients in the ward.
“Creating art gave me the solace of contemplation and playful imagining, allowing me to entertain numerous subjects and dreams,” he continues, “memories of childhood both joyful and untroubled – “The Upside Down Boy” – or in recalling the monsters from a nightmare – “The Green Assassin” – There were also glimpses of the dancehall in which I had seen my father sing and in which I would also perform and along a visual record of my travels and romantic misadventures. These images – which I might call “cartoons” or even “daubs” are intended to amuse, whether they are playful or macabre. Their subjects often depart from the titles or lyrical lines in my own songs.”
Costello goes on to acknowledge a visual lineage with the work of legendary graphic designer Barney Bubbles, who famously served as art director for Stiff Records in the label’s punk and new wave heyday (notably creating the album covers for Costello’s Armed Forces and This Year’s Model, among others). “Among my favorite images are those that make visual quotations from the cover painting of the album, “Imperial Bedroom” – the last major work by artist Barney Bubbles – whose graphic art graces numerous album covers from the 1970s to the early 1980s. I am indebted to Barney not only for the art direction and visual layout of my early album covers but to have observed him at work was an education in itself.”
For more information on Costello’s other projects in progress, including the forthcoming Coward Brothers reunion with T-Bone Burnett, visit elviscostello.com. Learn more about Wentworth Gallery here.
