Jack White Opens First Public Art Exhibition in London
Jack White has officially opened his first public art exhibition in London, offering fans a rare glimpse into a creative side of his personality that he admits most people are unfamiliar with. Titled ‘These Thoughts May Disappear’, the exhibition is currently hosted at Damien Hirst’s prestigious Newport Street Gallery and is scheduled to run until September 13.
Among the diverse collection of works on display is a striking recreation of the musician’s 2015 sculpture, The Red Tree. The original project involved White painting a dying tree in his garden red. Reflecting on the process, White told Wallpaper, “It died, I brought it back to life, and it died again, and now we’re bringing it back to life in a fake version of it – a plastic resin version of the tree which is also the height of the room. It was very collaborative for me in Nashville, with the team in London and the fabricators in China. To be able to be a director of a concept was really nice.”
The exhibition also features a series of upholstered chairs, which serve as a poignant nod to the musician’s early career. Before his global success with The White Stripes, White apprenticed as an upholsterer at age 15 and eventually opened his own business, Third Man Upholstery, at 21. One standout piece is a reworked Eames chair created in collaboration with Damien Hirst, featuring leather hand-painted by the artist.
White noted that his sculpture and upholstery work had largely remained private for the past two decades. When asked why he decided to exhibit now, he credited Hirst’s encouragement. “No one had ever really invited or encouraged me, so I never really sought it out. I just made work in my own time. Until Hirst said: ‘Why don’t you do a show at our gallery?’”
Many of the over 100 pieces on display utilize raw materials salvaged from local garbage collections in Nashville, a practice White traces back to his childhood in Detroit. “I was taught about the creativity in taking an old piece of furniture that’s headed for the dump and rescuing it and bringing it back to life,” he explained. “It was the first thing I was taught to do with my hands.”
Ultimately, the exhibition serves as a bridge between his musical career and his tactile artistic pursuits. “People don’t know this side of me,” White added. “I want them to see that this came from a passionate place, in an attempt to try to get somewhere with it.”
