Beano: The Art of Breaking the Rules
21 October 2021 - 6 March 2022
Somerset House
This major exhibition curated by artist Andy Holden mapped the influence of the Beano comic on art and popular culture, and its place in the public psyche.
Conceived during lockdown, the exhibition embodied the comic’s unruliness and irreverence drawing inspiration from the artists who have been directly and indirectly influenced by the Beano.
Audiences were made to feel as if they stepped inside a page of the comic, with ongoing gags, editor’s notes and large recreations of the regular sights of Beanotown, from Bash Street School and Bunkerton Castle to the homes of Gasworks road, providing the backdrops for the contemporary artworks in the show.
The exhibition was designed by Sam Jacob Studio.
Alongside the Beano archive and original drawings, the show included contributions and artworks by: Alex Wheatle, Phyllida Barlow, Martin Creed, Sarah Lucas, Heather Phillipson, Jann Haworth, Beryl Cook, Rachel Maclean, Philippe Parreno, Fischli/Weiss, Rene Matić, Babak Ganjei, Ed Atkins, Ryan Gander, Bedwyr Williams, Hardeep Pandhal, Simeon Barclay, Olivia Sterling, Mark McGowan, Mira Calix, Cory Arcangel, Emma Hart, Peter Liversidge, Lindsey Mendick, Liam Fallon, Heath Robinson, Holly Hendry, Claes Oldenburg, Matt Copson, Richard Wentworth, Ruth Ewan, Jesse Darling, Ed Atkins, Nicola Lane, Charlie Godet Thomas, Flo Brooks, Elly Thomas, Alex Chinneck, Rebecca Moss, Rabiya Choudhry and Martin Rowson.
