You are invited to the opening party for Life of Pye at The Angus-Hughes Gallery on Wednesday the 5th of August

"Life of Pye" is the name Harry Pye has given to his 42 Collaborations project. Just like any exhibition there will be work for sale and it's fine with us if journalists promote it and critics review it and all that sort of thing. However, "Life of Pye" is intended as a year long project. When the project is over the artist wants to bring out a pocket sized book that documents the different collaborations he's undertaken with 42 different people he admires. Everyone is invited to the launch party of "Life of Pye" project which is a celebration of being 42 years young.

The private view / launch party takes place at The Angus-Hughes Gallery, 26 Lower Clapton Road, (at the junction of Urswick Rd), London E5 0PD from 6pm till 9pm on Wednesday 5th of August. (Note: The artist will also be at the gallery from 12-6pm on Thursday the 6th of August if you want to have a chat with him, then all the work is being packed up and returned to his studio in New Cross untill he finds another venue for the next stage of the project.)

The artist says: “It’s been 21 years since I graduated from Winchester School of Art aged 21. I'm celebrating my 42nd birthday by having an exhibition that features 42 collaborations. I've also been working on a publication with the designer Keith Sargent that will feature images from the show plus forty-two 42 word quotes about the number 42. Writers who have contributed a quote for me include David Quantick, Kevin Eldon, John Lloyd, Peter Tatchell, Helen Lederer, Jack Dee, Sally O’Reilly, Suki Webster, Mark Lamarr, and Lloyd Cole.“Life of Pye” doesn’t just feature paintings. The project includes video, performance, paintings, drawings, animations, songs, jewellery, badges, and sculptures, that I made with friends and artists I admire. For details of who I’ve been working with you can visit: http://42collaborations.blogspot.co.uk/ Please come to my launch party at The Angus Hughes Gallery so I can tell you more about the project in person. You can get an exclusive peek at some of the work and find out how you can get involved in stage two.”

“The stylistic context of Pye’s gag making is that of a glorious UK art writing tradition that includes Matthew Collings, Gilbert and George, Billy Childish, Mark McGowan and BANK). There can be lot of sad old pain behind this class of gag making, in which humour replaces sadness to become the crafty vehicle for kinds of truth telling that are usually proscribed – the time honoured subversions of the holy and court fools, carnival madness, and jester and trickster mischief making.” – Neal Brown

“Harry Pye is the only artist who is consistently good.” – Buffy Cook. Harry William Pye was born in London in 1973. His work has been exhibited in England, Brazil, Australia, Denmark and Estonia and can be found in collections around the world including Rob Whytehead, Thomas Cohn, Ben Moore, Nicholas Rushton, Eduardo Mondolfo, Harriet Chalk, Niven and Ruben Govinden, The Joffe family, Kenny Schachter, Richard Marchant and Sartorial Contemporary Art. He’s curated shows for Deptford X and Elefest in London and Glassbox in Paris. He’s organised events at both Tate Britain and Tate Modern. His paintings have been sold to raise money for various charities including: Art Against Knives, Break Through (breast cancer charity), Action For Children, Kids & Co, CARA (Charity for academic refugees), Depression Alliance, and Friends of The Earth. And he’s had nice things said about his projects on BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and The Weekend Review. And had glowing reviews written in many publications including: The Guardian Guide, The Times, The Evening Standard, and Frieze magazine. Angus Hughes Tel: 0208 9850450 Email: mail@angus-hughes.com

Unless something goes horribly, horribly wrong "Life of Pye" will feature work made in collaboration with the following brilliant people: Erica MacArthur, Billy Childish & Geraldine Swayne, Gordon Beswick, Natasha Mediator, Kes Richardson, Francis Macdonald, Julian Wakeling, Fanny Janssen, Kirsty Buchanan, Tinsel Edwards, David Dipré, Mel Cole, Mikey Georgeson, Rowland Smith, Ed Hill & Jacob Louis Beaney, Caroline Jupp, Marcus Cope, Blacklist Editions, Christopher Owen, Howard Dyke John Moseley, Liz Murray, Sarah Sparkes, Elsa Tierney, Kate Murdoch, Chris Coombes, Luke Gottelier, Barry Thompson, Hugh Mendes, Emma Coleman, Astrid Horkheimer, Ruth Binfor, The Spammed, and another 9 still to be confirmed!