The average person is introduced to Andy Warhol through his overly commercialised pop art prints. Although the Campbell Soup and Marilyn Monroe images remain to be an instantly recognisable artworks, one cannot help it to feel diluted when splattered across another Uniqlo shirt. Despite this, I found the latest exhibition at Dovecot Studios to be a refreshing portrayal of his career – through his textile work. We are reintroduced to Warhol through his earlier works, which Tina Fredericks described as “fragmented, broken and intriguing”. The dainty illustrations are repeated across the rolls of fabric, showing how his skills as a textile designer played in favour of developing his most iconic works. From the spirited acrobatic clowns jumping off the backs of horses to the bugs crawling all over the cotton, Andy Warhol is presented as genuinely playful and fun. Despite any personal opinions one may have of the artist, this exhibition allows the visitor to appreciate Andy Warhol as an artist who toyed with repetition. It is easy to connect the dots on how someone can go into a serial exploitation of image, Andy Warhol was a textile factory in itself. The transition from these light-hearted textiles to the tiresome screen prints suddenly make sense, making this an exhibition that you can walk away from feeling like you have gained something. 

!!!!!!!!happy bug day!!!!!!!!