Contemporary Six presents a solo show by Jim Moir. The preview will be on the 12th of November from 6-9pm, please RSVP at info@contemporarysix.co.uk.
WORK GOES LIVE 6PM 12TH OF NOVEMBER 2021
According to his art agent and best friend of the last 25 years Michael Hogben, Jim Moir
wakes up painting and goes to sleep creating, often getting up at 4am to work on art.
Jim, who you may know better as his alter ego, comedian Vic Reeves, attended art school in
London and often says he fell into comedy and acting by accident.
Working within a number of mediums including watercolour, oils, sculpture and pencil
drawings, he boasts a long list of repeat international buyers and collectors, including a
number of celebrities.
His subjects are many and diverse and include Hilda Ogden and Ena Sharples, The Beatles,
British wild birds and himself.
A true northern lad hailing from Leeds and moving to Darlington aged five, Moir started off
by studying mechanical engineering before realising a rapid change of career path to
comedian was in order.
While his budding career as a comedian began, Moir’s life as an artist also stuttered into
being as he enrolled at Sir John Cass School of Art in London, opposite the Whitechapel Art
Gallery, in the 1980s.
In the beginning, Moir was quite the traditionalist, copying the works of French neoclassical
painter Jacques-Louis David and selling them to make a quick buck. However almost as soon
as Jim started dedicating his life to art, up popped Vic Reeves, which, it could be said, is the
most successful performance art piece to come out of Moir’s psyche to date.
Voted one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy, Moir is known for a multitude of
achievements and is now considered a British institution. You may know Moir for his work
on Vic Reeves Big Night Out, Shooting Stars, Toast of London or even Coronation Street.
His comedy is surreal, it is dark, and it is pure anarchy. It is this surrealism that is ever so
present in Moir’s art. The display of the uncanny and bizarre has informed his career to such
an extent that the line between Vic and Jim sometimes bends and blurs. For example,
during a documentary titled A Film of Reeves & Mortimer, Moir buried his classic car in his
back garden to make a sculptural statement.
His keen interest in the art world has always overlapped with his comedy, in 2011 he
presented Vic Reeves’ Turner Prize Moments where he looked back at the art prizes most
memorable and comedic moments.
Jim said: “I chose Manchester for my solo exhibition because it is a beautiful city, full of art
lovers.
“I filmed here for Corrie for three months, so I know a few shortcuts. Me and my wife watch
Corrie every week and we love all the characters, old and new.”
On what to look for when considering investing in art, Jim, who says his own taste in art has
evolved rather than changed over the years, advises: “Always buy what you like as you have
to live with it.”
Alex Reuben, owner, Contemporary Six, said: “The name Vic Reeves may be synonymous
with the comedy scene, but it’s Jim Moir who you should keep an eye on.
“I think the best way to explain Moir’s work is that he’s telling the truth.
“He is being brutally honest with himself and thus with the viewer. His work is unfiltered,
and he makes what feels right in the moment, be that a painting on pop culture, some
pencil drawing caricatures or naturalist bird watercolours.
“The subject matter is mischievous and the colour palette vast. One cannot possibly
pigeonhole this artist.”
