With a camp, glamorous aesthetic, Chris Hawkes’ work presents a highly feminine yet unapologetic style as an act of rebellion against the machismo of painting. Working with multiple visual languages they blend figurative and abstract elements to create highly processed paintings. Ideas of the sampled image, gender, taste and queer identity are played with in

their work. Heavily connected to Pop Art, their work consciously acknowledges the role of signs and simulations within representation. The works deliberately re-engage with the auto-biographical and personal behind the ‘empty signs’.

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Since graduating in 2017 from the Fine Art Painting BA at University of Brighton, Hawkes has exhibited in London, Brighton and Liverpool. As well as completing a two-month residency in Chongqing, China which culminated in the MORE + MORE + MOREexhibition, they also took part in the UKYA City Takeover in Nottingham.