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Neil Krug is a US photographer and art director. He’s probably best known for his work on album covers for Tame Impala, Lana Del Rey, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and more. His work is a colourful, slightly psychedelic take on fashion photography, like Tim Webster had wandered into the desert, taken some peyote and had a little lie-down. Now Krug is letting us grey, rain-swept Londoners all get a glimpse of life on a much brighter astral plane, as his images take over billboards across London and the UK.
The project is part of Your Space or Mine, an initiative from street-advertising specialist Buildhollywood that gives visual artists a platform to have their work shown on hoardings on everyday city streets. Their outdoor spaces have seen artworks by Fiona Banner, Jeremy Deller, The White Pube and countless others.
Neil Krug is displaying artworks from his series ‘Phantom: Stage One’, based on some dreams he had back in 2016 in which ‘a woman followed a ghost into the desert’. So, very much not a Caledonian Road vibe. Krug says of their placement on the capital’s streets: ‘I’ve always imagined “Phantom” being displayed on an extremely large scale. This collaboration gives it the ability to live within the context I envisioned. The twist being the contrast of the desolate desert daydreams against the hazy London backdrop. I hope the series will feel like a hit of acid, that the viewer will be left wondering what happens once the smoke clears.’
In practice, Krug’s ‘Phantom’ images consist of extremely well-dressed, extremely beautiful model types pictured among rocky outcrops and lit by sudden jets of bright orange flame, plus a big purple mountain. They’re not exactly spring-like, but they certainly beat the hell out of some massive shouty ad for a new Vodaphone bundle.
Find out more about Your Space or Mine here.
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