The Royal Collection
‘The Prince’ (2023)
(work in progress)
A pastel kaleidoscope of kitsch undulates beneath an empty portrait of the Duke of York in this collaged dismantlement of consumption. The central figure, an amalgamation of the consort father and his philandering son, is captured in a composite web of superficiality and packaged desire. The profuse images encapsulate reductivist notions of gendered fairy tales, where sugar, spice, and everything nice are the foundational elements of femininity. But this is not the fairy-tale promised, and this manufactured innocence is artificially sweet, the saccharin taste masking the bitterness of objectification and hypersexualization. The juxtaposition of these symbols with the Crown interrogates the relationship between power, privilege, and consumption. Within this pale-hued prism of society, the privileged few inhabit glorified lives of luxury that us supplicants must view from afar. This tableau built on disposable promises of beauty and exclusivity is tinged with the mingled stench of desire and disgust.
The Prince lurks in this world, savouring the sweetness of youth without fear of persecution. Inhabiting a glass castle built on a crumbling colonial empire, women are served to him on a silver platter. Gleefully devoured then silenced, they are forced to negotiate a never-ending gilded corridor of pain and humiliation, navigating a hazy labyrinth of bribes and threats in the royal architecture of evil and deceit. But here in this savage soft-focus landscape of consumerist femininity, we are all to blame for the transgressions of our leaders. We’ve voraciously absorbed the scandalous tales of these clandestine affairs, standing in the funhouse of our venerated Crown whilst feasting on the layered cake of hypocrisy. This plastic-wrapped inhumanity is consumed then cast aside for a juicier, more sensational titbit offered by the media, as our limited attention spans prove increasingly more fickle and wicked. The wrongdoings committed by the privileged few are conveniently airbrushed out of history, but our glut for their affairs belies our own terrible cravings. We may inhabit an island interspersed with queens and castles and royal blood lines, but the lies sold as a fairy-tale only promised the princess would find a prince, not justice.
‘The Prince’ (detail) 2023
‘The Prince (details) 2021 -2023, click on image to enlarge
‘The Prince’ (glitch experiment) 2023
‘The Prince’ (test video)
‘Spare Us’ (2023)
Digital composite image.
“We justify ourselves when we should judge ourselves. If we learned humility, it might spare us the humiliation."
Vance Havner
The landmark publication of former Prince Harry’s memoir was a media spectacle eagerly awaited by his former subjects. Promising hard-won insights and revelations that only one of England’s most privileged individuals could provide, the book failed to make good on the salacious and titillating details hinted at and leaked during the overblown and protracted marketing campaign. A last-ditch effort for a former Royal to cash in on his deteriorating empire and influence, the memoir was penned by the Duke of Sussex with help from ghostwriter J.R. Moehringer.
An edited image playing off the memoir’s title, “Spare Us” (2023), captures the settling dust of sensationalism, as anticipation dissipated into disappointment. Overwhelmed by the media onslaught of protracted interviews and constant aggrandizement, the image depicts the collective sigh released upon the book’s release. A visual shoulder shrug of sorts, the PR manipulation intended to foment headlines – and maybe, a few sales – is shown here falling short of the destined blockbuster affair, as the nation turn their collective back on the Prince and his tales and instead express a world-weary apathy and a shared sense of fatigue and indifference.
‘Souvenirs’ (2023)
Digital composite image.
"Souvenirs are life’s treasures that we collect along the way” - Unknown
Issued to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III, this exceptional limited-edition commemorative dining ware set is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own part of British history. Beautifully handcrafted using the finest porcelain and hand-edged with a luxurious band of 22-ct gold, these high-quality plates honour the monarchy’s legacy and landmark achievements. Each deluxe item showcases the Royal Family alongside favoured allies, friends, and longstanding collaborators renowned for their prestigious contributions to culture, politics, and society, including trafficking victim advocate Virginia Giuffre, socialite and procurement specialist Ghislaine Maxwell, financier Jeffrey Epstein and the light entertainer Jimmy Savile.
Individually handcrafted and meticulously polished, the set reflects Britain’s glorious past and shines a light on the country’s bright future. A testament to Britain’s abiding commitment to democracy, individual liberty, the rule of law, and human rights, this dinnerware set is the ultimate sign of national pride. Perfect for enthusiasts and collectors of British memorabilia, each item comes with a certificate of authenticity and is guaranteed to become a welcome addition to the hearts and homes of the most deserving and devoted Royal aficionados.
Royal Commemorative dining ware plates (all 2023), click on image to enlarge
‘Camila Parker Savile’ (2023)
Digital composite image
The dual portrait “Camila-Parker Savile” celebrates the ascension of our beloved Queen Consort Camila. Depicted wearing the Greville Tiara, a recognizable favourite of Elizabeth II, the image morphs Camila with her husband’s esteemed friend, the late, light entertainer Jimmy Savile. Intended to capture her stately presence and strict adherence to decorum, the duality of the portrait nods to the joyous reunification of the fated lovers after decades spent apart. The Royals’ deep connections to Savile are further illuminated by the 'Jim fixed it for me' badge, a nod to Savile’s long-running children’s TV show, a heart-warming endeavour in which Savile made the dream of many kids come true across Great Britain. An esteemed mentor and advisor to many, the portrait speaks to Savile’s intimate relationships with a vast array of vulnerable children in and outside the palace. The Queen’s Family Order is also seen pinned on Camila's left shoulder - the sovereign’s highest personal order of merit which is only awarded to female members of the Royal Family. The hand-painted miniature of Queen Elizabeth II has been replaced with an exquisite miniature of Ghislaine Maxwell, a touching acknowledgment to the only other woman known to have sat on the royal throne in modern times. Embedded within the glittering Royal regalia adorning Camilla, markers of Charles’ legacy can be seen intertwined with the Crown Jewels, all shining testaments to the flawless and unwavering reign of the Crown. Reflecting the warmth and reserved personality of our Queen, this dazzling portrait establishes Camila as a revered monarch and a welcomed addition to the Royal Family.
‘Camila Parker Savile’ (glitch experiment) 2023
‘Spit ‘n Polish’ (2023)
Digital composite image
“There's nothing like a jolly good disaster to get people to start doing something.”- Prince Charles
The visage of King Charles III emerges from the dense collaged imagery of “Spit ‘n’ Polish” (2023). Now upon the throne for which he so patiently waited after decades as the heir apparent, he is pictured emblazoned upon a reimagined coat of arms, a bloated ring bearer for a disintegrating sovereignty. Upon closer inspection, the assimilated imagery proves to be composed of encrusted jewels, weaponry, hunting trophies, spoiled cutlets of putrefying ham, Masonic and Satanic symbolism, along with other glorious spoils of war befitting his station.
Tracing the family’s descent from mile-high beds to a crumbling crown of thrones, Charles is depicted having traded in the family’s looted jewels for sanitary products. In the background, the spectre of his sister Queen Elizabeth looms as her Royal procession and portraits repeat in the background, a nod to the crown’s homogenetic continuity and long-lived devotion to distinctly European concerns. Available as a limited edition Giclee print individually hand finished using human blood, 'Spit 'n' Polish' offers a visceral and reductivist interpretation of the United Kingdom's current reigning monarch.
‘Spit ‘n Polish’ (2023), Pentagram detail
‘(S)ham’ (2023)
Digital composite image
Referencing the recent tabloid story in which a woman from Cheltenham discovered an apparition of Princess Diana contained within a slice of mass-produced, wafer-thin ham, '(S)ham' (2023) explores the commodification of celebrities, as repeating images of packaged food coalesce into a portrait of the late Princess of Wales. Embracing Warholian themes of icon fetishization and media sensationalism, the portrait is bereft of the compassion, altruism, or deep motherly love so often associated with Our Tragic Queen of Hearts and focuses almost exclusively on the demand and exchange values of an imagined pre-packaged Princess.
For this is not a conventional portrait but a commercial landscape we are within – the repeated imagery of the economy-packaged ham carefully organized into orderly rows, evokes not only produce stacked in a supermarket aisle, but a veritable conveyor belt of celebrity consumption at cut-down prices. In the commercialized and capitalist space of the Tesco economy, the closeout fare and the value-branded packaging seem incongruent with the prestige afforded to Princess Di's legacy. And yet, within these pre-packaged items one finds the sinews of humanity's voracious appetite for the salacious and disposable aspects of life. Supermarket ham and sovereignty alike are both marked with an expiration date, a reminder of how quickly one can turn from a beloved fresh-faced figure to yesterday's news before finally ascending beyond the mundane to the rarified air of the mythologized martyr – a treasured symbol for what never was.
Having catapulted and canonized Diana above and beyond mere Crown commodity, she has now been located firmly within the auratic realm, achieving the sanctified stature of sainthood. In her elevated legacy we reveal our hungry and faithful complicity in manufacturing an insatiable nostalgia for salubrity and purity, for creating and maintaining a craving for a sense of wholeness that is no longer attainable. Available as a Giclée print or a signed, limited-edition tote bag '(S)ham' and 'Totes (S)ham' (both 2023) exemplify how eagerly and indiscriminately we consume and devour both the myth and the merchandize of Diana.
‘(S)ham’ (2023) - detail
Digital composite image
‘Totes (S)ham’ (2023)
Limited edition, double-sided printed tote bag.
'Cruel Britannia' (2023)
Composite photographic image.
In this image, a photograph of an Oxford Street souvenir window display has been digitally manipulated to incorporate the capitalistic and exploitative manoeuvres of the Royal monarchy – particularly in the lead-up to the coronation of King Charles III. The simulated image exposes the complicit commodification of the Royal Family and, upon closer inspection, reveals a veritable treasure trove of subversive imagery. Many of the Royal Family’s persuasive and rousing connections, including Lord Mountbatten, public personality Rolf Harris, and former bishop Peter Ball, are depicted.
The simulated high street souvenir window offers a glimpse into the machinations of the Royal Family, a venerated group that those outside the shop can only observe from a distance. The figure reflected within the shop’s seemingly welcoming display reminds one of the inequalities represented by a sheer pane of glass, an invisible barrier separating the haves from the have-nots, the Royal family from the public over which it presides. While subject to the scrutiny of those outside the shop, those within (and protected by) the Royal family may do as they please – much to the delight and consternation of the ravenous public.
‘An ode to open sores (Diana edition)’ (2023)
Digital composite image
“I don't want expensive gifts; I don't want to be bought. I have everything I want. I just want someone to be there for me, to make me feel safe and secure.”
Princess Diana
Untitled Diana montages (all 2023) - click on image to enlarge
The final artwork I conceived whilst working on this project marks a slight departure from the other prints, being the only image that does not directly reference a member of the Royal Family. Here Shamima Begum is reimagined as the newly appointed monarch reigning over the UK in a dramatic shift of power dynamics.
