Criminal Lover (the exhibition)

First I loved the title of this exhibition. It reminded me of one of my favourite films by Francois Ozon "Criminal Lovers". Then I loved the exhibition. This small exciting exhibition by Jamie Mcleod was at First Out cafe in central London.

Time Out London: "Exhibition of photographs by Jamie Mcleod, a homage to the lost and found boys of London - the renters, the addicts, the angels and the criminally beautiful."

First Out cafe exhibition page:

"The Criminal Lover exhibition is a contuation of the Lost Boys exhibiton I had previously at First Out and it is a homage to the currency of youth and the lost and found boys that maybe once were us or who pass us on the street. It celebrates the renters, the addicts, the criminally sick, the beautiful, the angelic, the evil, the god-sent, and the iconic. The exhibition is about the labyrinth of the city and its dark pleasures and how a man can get lost in her razzle - dazzle of charms and excess to maybe never return. You will also find the spirit of Genet, Burroughs, Marc Almond and Joe Dellasandro amongst the unknown faces, the so called "nobodies" that Mcleod lovingly turns into "somebody".

"It is a collection of photos and candy coloured defaced screen-prints that are all highly attractive to the eye but with closer inspection reveal a love for all things dark and forbidden. He seems to soil what was a very pop image and to defile it with his imagination. Mcleod says "I'm interested in the semiotics of the city, it's bombardment of stimuli and decoding it and my obsessions within these realms. I use bodies, faces, masks, poetry, dreams, neon signs, road signs, poison labels, cinematic narrative and song lyrics to compose and inspire my images. I conjure up my desires from the twinkling lights and the neon signs and the faces and characters that brush into my space".