Toby Mott
Encyclopedia
Toby Victor Mott is a British artist,designer and sometime Punk historian known for his work with the Grey Organisation
, an artists' collective that was active in the 1980s, and for his fashion brand Toby Pimlico. More recently he has won acclaim for the Mott Collection, an archive of UK punk rock
and political ephemera that includes over 1,000 posters, flyers and fanzines.
1964. He attended several schools, including Pimlico Comprehensive where he shared a classroom with the screen writer Amy Jenkins
and Patrick Harrington
an infamous leading member of the National Front
. He later studied art at Westminster Kingsway College
. Mott was a founder member of the ASA (Anarchist Street Army, a late 1970s organisation that caused disturbances in the Pimlico
area of London).
In the early 1980s he lived at the Carburton Street squats in Fitzrovia
, a centre of artistic activity at the time - other residents included Boy George
, Marilyn (singer), Cerith Wyn Evans
, Fiona Russell-Powell
and Mark Lebon. During this period Mott appeared in a number of films made by the British director Derek Jarman
, notably The Angelic Conversation
and also appearing in Gilbert & George's “Exister” pieces from 1984, currently in the Tate Collection.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s he was based in New York and Los Angeles working as an art director for MTV
and making music videos for various groups, among them Public Enemy, A Tribe called Quest
and The Rolling Stones
. He also produced album cover graphics for De La Soul
's 3 Feet High and Rising
and the Information Society (band)
.
, who congregated around an independent record shop on Wilton Road called Recordsville and attended Crass
concerts.
Their motives as an organisation were varied, but had a general ethos of bringing anarchy and chaos to the London streets, such as crashing Capital Radio
's Nicky Horne
show in an attempt to save the Roxy
, and were a forerunner to later organisations with similar attitudes such as Class War
, The Wombles
, and protest tactics like Black Bloc
.
The ASA's motto and anthem was 'Running Riot' a punk rock song by the band Cock Sparrer
, later adopted by Right Wing factions within the Oi!
movement.
(GO) who were active from 1983 to 1991. GO worked in several mediums including film and video and participated in over 20 international exhibitions. In January 1985 the group committed an act of "art terrorism" by smuggling one of their paintings into the International Contemporary Arts Fair in London. The following year they mounted an attack on Cork Street
, then the centre of the London art world, splashing grey paint on the windows of a number of galleries. After this, members of the group were arrested and for a time banned from central London. This resulted in them relocating to New York City where they exhibited at The Civilian Warfare Gallery in the East Village
. When GO disbanded in 1991, Mott pursued a solo career exhibiting at White Columns
NYC, The Thomas Soloman Garage, Los Angeles and Interim Art, London. He was for many years represented by the Maureen Paley
gallery.
In September 2011 Toby Mott produced a series of paintings inspired by the 2011 England riots
, the resulting exhibition 'Unrest' was exhibited at Vegas Gallery, London. Many of the paintings in the exhibition were brandished with the slogan 'All Coppers Are Bastards' in gold leaf a reference to the legendary punk/political slogan.
Mott said of this exhibition “I was going to call the exhibition, ‘I’ll keep looting until I get caught’— a quote from a looter but which could equally apply to a banker, [T]hose at the bottom are taking their lead from those at the top; although the rioters act in a cruder way, it is essentially the same thing.”
In October 2011 Knightsbridge
gallery New Contemporary presented a solo exhibition of paintings by Mott entitled 'This Means Everything'. "The show is collection of new paintings addressing our culture's present preoccupation with fame and success versus the historical background of nihilism and anarchy as epitomised by the punk movement."
Mott began his collection in the late 1970s. In addition to the iconic works of the era, notably those produced by Jamie Reid
for The Sex Pistols and Linder Sterling
for the Buzzcocks
, it includes propaganda from political groups such as Rock Against Racism
and the British National Front
and memorabilia from the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II
, an event that collided with punk's high watermark in 1977.
In a A Punk's Journey, an essay by Mott which appears in Loud Flash, he writes: "In 1977 my bedroom was covered in posters, flyers and shelves of records and fanzines, and when I left home these significant symbols of my past were stored away. In 1997 I returned from living in America and started to add to my collection. I appreciated the visual immediacy which never seemed tired or dated. The ideals of self empowerment, motivation, action and common cause are evident throughout [the collection]. To me they are the spirit of punk".
Exhibitions of the Mott Collection include:
On the occasion of the exhibition at Honor Fraser a panel discussion took place moderated by Professor Vivien Goldman
of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts
, panel members: Gardar Eide Einarsson, Artist, Billy Idol
, Punk Musician, Toby Mott, artist, writer and collector, Simon Reynolds
, British author and music journalist.
, selections from The Mott Collection, an exhibition of over 130 objects and artifacts centered on the anarchic, self-produced culture of the British band Crass
, featuring significant pieces by Gee Vaucher
, and the influential Crass logo by Dave King, Roth gallery, New York. The exhibition featured artwork, albums and ephemera, including original 12” LPs and EPs, 7” singles from Crass Records
, and a complete set of Crass
’ iconic house zine, Inter-National Anthem. The material featured in the exhibition spanned the high period of Crass
’ endeavors, from 1978 to 1984, and constitutes a special segment of The Mott Collection. Says Mott: "Crass
ended its own story in 1984 a suitable Orwellian demise - but while active they were nothing but authentic, inspiring and principled in a cynical age, answering to no one but themselves."
The Roth Gallery exhibition was also accompanied by a publication: Crass 1977 - 1984, PPP Editions, 2011
Mott began making paintings based on detention school ‘lines’ such as “I Will Try Harder”; these were then transferred onto t-shirts, transforming them into a recognisable design motif. He came up with the brand name, Toby Pimlico, and an initial six designs, including “I Must Not Chase the Boys” and “I Have Nothing To Wear”.
The T-shirts began to have a cult following after being worn by Kate Moss
, the actress Sienna Miller
, Geri Halliwell
from The Spice Girls and It Girl
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson
. The label also received praise from the Prince of Wales
.
Other slogans are used to promote social consciousness, such as the Marie Curie
-inspired 'love you to death.'
The label was launched at London Fashion Week in 1998.
The Brand now includes a range of tea towels, maternity wear and knickers.
Mott responded to his own success and transition from Punk to artist-businessman by calling himself a ‘Gold Card Anarchist’
; according to the British newspaper The Daily Mail, Mott called the police after the assault and told them he was carrying CS gas
for his own protection. He was then arrested for possession of a weapon and held for 11 hours at high-security Paddington Green police station
.
In 2000 Mott dated the actress Emilia Fox
.
Mott divorced celebrity hairdresser Louise Galvin in 2008 after one year of marriage, as reported in the Evening Standard. Mott met Galvin through a mutual friend, she was already several months pregnant when they married. "The marriage was never going to work, I discovered Louise had matching Louis Vuitton
luggage" says Mott.
Their daughter was born In 2007.
Grey Organisation
The Grey Organisation were an Artist collective active from 1983 to 1991. GO worked in several mediums including film and video and participated in over 20 international exhibitions....
, an artists' collective that was active in the 1980s, and for his fashion brand Toby Pimlico. More recently he has won acclaim for the Mott Collection, an archive of UK punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and political ephemera that includes over 1,000 posters, flyers and fanzines.
Early life
Toby Mott was born in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
1964. He attended several schools, including Pimlico Comprehensive where he shared a classroom with the screen writer Amy Jenkins
Amy Jenkins
Amy Jenkins is an English novelist and screenwriter. She is the daughter of the late political journalist Peter Jenkins and the stepdaughter of The Guardian columnist and author Polly Toynbee....
and Patrick Harrington
Patrick Harrington
Patrick "Pat" Harrington is a British Politician, currently General Secretary of Solidarity – The Union for British Workers an organisation affiliated to the British National Party, and a Director of the Third Way think-tank...
an infamous leading member of the National Front
National Front
The name National Front is used by a number of political parties and coalitions.* Albania — National Front * Belarus — Partyja BPF* Belgium — National Front * Botswana — Botswana National Front...
. He later studied art at Westminster Kingsway College
Westminster Kingsway College
Westminster Kingsway College is a further education college in central London with Centres in King's Cross and Victoria . The College has about 14,000 students across all age ranges and provides further, adult and higher education programmes including full-time and part-time vocational,...
. Mott was a founder member of the ASA (Anarchist Street Army, a late 1970s organisation that caused disturbances in the Pimlico
Pimlico
Pimlico is a small area of central London in the City of Westminster. Like Belgravia, to which it was built as a southern extension, Pimlico is known for its grand garden squares and impressive Regency architecture....
area of London).
In the early 1980s he lived at the Carburton Street squats in Fitzrovia
Fitzrovia
Fitzrovia is a neighbourhood in central London, near London's West End lying partly in the London Borough of Camden and partly in the City of Westminster ; and situated between Marylebone and Bloomsbury and north of Soho. It is characterised by its mixed-use of residential, business, retail,...
, a centre of artistic activity at the time - other residents included Boy George
Boy George
Boy George is a British singer-songwriter who was part of the English New Romantic movement which emerged in the early 1980s. He helped give androgyny an international stage with the success of Culture Club during the 1980s. His music is often classified as blue-eyed soul, which is influenced by...
, Marilyn (singer), Cerith Wyn Evans
Cerith Wyn Evans
Cerith Wyn Evans is a Welsh conceptual artist, sculptor and film-maker.After studying at Saint Martin's School of Art and the Royal College of Art Wyn Evans worked as an assistant to Derek Jarman and his early experimental film work in the 1980s often concentrated on dancers including...
, Fiona Russell-Powell
Fiona Russell-Powell
Fiona Russell Powell is a British journalist. She is best known for her series of interviews throughout the 1980s in The Face magazine. For a brief period in the mid 1980s, she performed with the pop group ABC in videos and onstage to support their cartoon-synth album How to Be a...Zillionaire!...
and Mark Lebon. During this period Mott appeared in a number of films made by the British director Derek Jarman
Derek Jarman
Michael Derek Elworthy Jarman was an English film director, stage designer, diarist, artist, gardener and author.-Life:...
, notably The Angelic Conversation
The Angelic Conversation
The Angelic Conversation is a CD soundtrack released by Coil for the film The Angelic Conversation."Enochian Calling", "Angelic Stations" and a few other tracks use samples from How to Destroy Angels...
and also appearing in Gilbert & George's “Exister” pieces from 1984, currently in the Tate Collection.
In the late 1980s and early 1990s he was based in New York and Los Angeles working as an art director for MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
and making music videos for various groups, among them Public Enemy, A Tribe called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest
A Tribe Called Quest is an American hip hop group, formed in 1985, and is composed of rapper/producer Q-Tip , rapper Phife Dawg , and DJ/producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad. A fourth member, rapper Jarobi White, left the group after their first album but rejoined in 2006...
and The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
. He also produced album cover graphics for De La Soul
De La Soul
De La Soul is an American hip hop trio formed in 1987 on Long Island, New York. The band is best known for their eclectic sampling, quirky lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres...
's 3 Feet High and Rising
3 Feet High and Rising
3 Feet High and Rising is the debut album from American hip hop trio De La Soul, released in 1989.The album marked the first of three full-length collaborations with producer Prince Paul, which would become the critical and commercial peak of both parties. It is consistently placed on 'greatest...
and the Information Society (band)
Information Society (band)
Information Society is an American band originally from Minneapolis, Minnesota, primarily consisting of Kurt Larson , Paul Robb, and James Cassidy; the latter two reconvened the band in 2006, initially with Christopher Anton as lead vocalist, then with Harland rejoining them as lead vocalist by...
.
Anarchist Street Army
The Anarchist Street Army (ASA) was a loose collective of young punks and anarchists from several inner city London Schools including Pimlico Comprehensive and Camden School for GirlsCamden School for Girls
The Camden School for Girls is a comprehensive secondary school for girls, with a co-educational sixth form, in the London Borough of Camden in North London. It has about one thousand students of ages eleven to eighteen, and specialist-school status as a Music College...
, who congregated around an independent record shop on Wilton Road called Recordsville and attended Crass
Crass
Crass are an English punk rock band that was formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, way of living, and as a resistance movement. Crass popularised the seminal anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, and advocated direct action, animal rights, and environmentalism...
concerts.
Their motives as an organisation were varied, but had a general ethos of bringing anarchy and chaos to the London streets, such as crashing Capital Radio
Capital Radio
Capital London is a London based radio station which launched on 16 October 1973 and is owned by Global Radio. On 3 January 2011 it formed part of the nine station Capital radio network.- Pre-launch :...
's Nicky Horne
Nicky Horne
Nicky Horne was a road manager for Emperor Rosko in 1969, before presenting shows on BBC Radio 1, from 1970 - 1973.Horne was one of the original line-up on London's Capital Radio, where he presented shows such as Your Mother Wouldn't like it, Mummy's Weekly & 6 of the Best...
show in an attempt to save the Roxy
The Roxy
The Roxy was a fashionable nightclub on Neal Street in London's Covent Garden, known for hosting the flowering British punk music scene in its infancy.-Brief history:...
, and were a forerunner to later organisations with similar attitudes such as Class War
Class War
Class War is a UK class struggle based group and newspaper originally set up by Ian Bone and others in 1983. It subsequently mutated various forms, becoming specifically anarchist....
, The Wombles
The Wombles
The Wombles are fictional pointy-nosed, furry creatures that live in burrows, where they help the environment by collecting and recycling rubbish in useful and ingenious ways. Wombles were created by author Elisabeth Beresford, originally appearing in a series of children's novels from 1968...
, and protest tactics like Black Bloc
Black bloc
A black bloc is a tactic for protests and marches, whereby individuals wear black clothing, scarves, ski masks, motorcycle helmets with padding, or other face-concealing items...
.
The ASA's motto and anthem was 'Running Riot' a punk rock song by the band Cock Sparrer
Cock Sparrer
Cock Sparrer are a punk rock band formed in 1972 in the East End of London, England. Although they never enjoyed much commercial success, they are considered one of the most influential streetpunk bands, helping pave the way for the late-1970s punk scene and the Oi! subgenre...
, later adopted by Right Wing factions within the Oi!
Oi!
Oi! is a working class subgenre of punk rock that originated in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The music and its associated subculture had the goal of bringing together punks, skinheads and other working-class youths ....
movement.
Grey Organisation and solo art career
Mott was a co-founder of the East London art group the Grey OrganisationGrey Organisation
The Grey Organisation were an Artist collective active from 1983 to 1991. GO worked in several mediums including film and video and participated in over 20 international exhibitions....
(GO) who were active from 1983 to 1991. GO worked in several mediums including film and video and participated in over 20 international exhibitions. In January 1985 the group committed an act of "art terrorism" by smuggling one of their paintings into the International Contemporary Arts Fair in London. The following year they mounted an attack on Cork Street
Cork Street
Cork Street is a street in Mayfair in the West End of London, England. It is very well known in the British art world for the commercial art galleries that dominate the street. It is located to the north of Burlington House, which houses the Royal Academy, a leading British art institution...
, then the centre of the London art world, splashing grey paint on the windows of a number of galleries. After this, members of the group were arrested and for a time banned from central London. This resulted in them relocating to New York City where they exhibited at The Civilian Warfare Gallery in the East Village
East Village, Manhattan
The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, lying east of Greenwich Village, south of Gramercy and Stuyvesant Town, and north of the Lower East Side...
. When GO disbanded in 1991, Mott pursued a solo career exhibiting at White Columns
White Columns
White Columns is New York City’s oldest alternative non-profit space and one of its most prestigious. White Columns is known as a show case for up and coming artists....
NYC, The Thomas Soloman Garage, Los Angeles and Interim Art, London. He was for many years represented by the Maureen Paley
Maureen Paley
Maureen Paley is the American owner of a contemporary art gallery in Bethnal Green, London, where she lives. It was founded in 1984, called Interim Art during the 1990s, and renamed Maureen Paley in 2004. She exhibited Young British Artists at an early stage...
gallery.
In September 2011 Toby Mott produced a series of paintings inspired by the 2011 England riots
2011 England riots
Between 6 and 10 August 2011, several London boroughs and districts of cities and towns across England suffered widespread rioting, looting and arson....
, the resulting exhibition 'Unrest' was exhibited at Vegas Gallery, London. Many of the paintings in the exhibition were brandished with the slogan 'All Coppers Are Bastards' in gold leaf a reference to the legendary punk/political slogan.
Mott said of this exhibition “I was going to call the exhibition, ‘I’ll keep looting until I get caught’— a quote from a looter but which could equally apply to a banker, [T]hose at the bottom are taking their lead from those at the top; although the rioters act in a cruder way, it is essentially the same thing.”
In October 2011 Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge
Knightsbridge is a road which gives its name to an exclusive district lying to the west of central London. The road runs along the south side of Hyde Park, west from Hyde Park Corner, spanning the City of Westminster and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea...
gallery New Contemporary presented a solo exhibition of paintings by Mott entitled 'This Means Everything'. "The show is collection of new paintings addressing our culture's present preoccupation with fame and success versus the historical background of nihilism and anarchy as epitomised by the punk movement."
The Mott Collection
Mott began his collection in the late 1970s. In addition to the iconic works of the era, notably those produced by Jamie Reid
Jamie Reid
Jamie Reid is a British artist and anarchist with connections to the Situationists. His work, featuring letters cut from newspaper headlines in the style of a ransom note, came close to defining the image of punk rock, particularly in the UK...
for The Sex Pistols and Linder Sterling
Linder Sterling
Linder Sterling is a visual artist, performance artist and musician from Liverpool, England. She spent her teen years in Manchester. She also uses the single name "Linder".-Early life:...
for the Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
, it includes propaganda from political groups such as Rock Against Racism
Rock Against Racism
Rock Against Racism was a campaign set up in the United Kingdom in 1976 as a response to an increase in racial conflict and the growth of white nationalist groups such as the National Front. The campaign involved pop, rock and reggae musicians staging concerts with an anti-racist theme, in order...
and the British National Front
British National Front
The National Front is a far right, white-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election, when it received 191,719 votes ....
and memorabilia from the Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II
Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II
The Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II marked the 25th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne of the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and other Commonwealth realms...
, an event that collided with punk's high watermark in 1977.
In a A Punk's Journey, an essay by Mott which appears in Loud Flash, he writes: "In 1977 my bedroom was covered in posters, flyers and shelves of records and fanzines, and when I left home these significant symbols of my past were stored away. In 1997 I returned from living in America and started to add to my collection. I appreciated the visual immediacy which never seemed tired or dated. The ideals of self empowerment, motivation, action and common cause are evident throughout [the collection]. To me they are the spirit of punk".
Exhibitions of the Mott Collection include:
- Loud Flash: British Punk on Paper, MUSAC, Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y LeónMuseo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y LeónThe Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y León, better known as the MUSAC, is a contemporary art museum in the city of León, Spain....
, March 2010 accompanied by the publication, Loud Flash: British Punk on Paper ISBN 9788492572175 a selection of posters and essays designed by cult designer Scott King.
- Loud Flash: British Punk on Paper, Haunch of VenisonHaunch of VenisonHaunch of Venison is a commercial art gallery founded in 2002 in the West End of London. The gallery represents leading contemporary artists with branches in London, Berlin and New York.-History:...
, London, 2010 accompanied by the publication, Loud Flash: British Punk on Paper ISBN 9781905620548 produced by Haunch of VenisonHaunch of VenisonHaunch of Venison is a commercial art gallery founded in 2002 in the West End of London. The gallery represents leading contemporary artists with branches in London, Berlin and New York.-History:...
. On the occasion of the exhibition at Haunch of VenisonHaunch of VenisonHaunch of Venison is a commercial art gallery founded in 2002 in the West End of London. The gallery represents leading contemporary artists with branches in London, Berlin and New York.-History:...
a Panel discussion took place on the subject of the enduring legacy of Punk, Moderated by Mark Ingelfield, Gallery Director, panel members: Tony DKill Your Pet PuppyKill Your Pet Puppy was a UK punkzine that ran for six issues between 1979 and 1984. It was edited by Tony Drayton who had previously produced Ripped and Torn fanzine, which he started in October 1976 and for 18 issues until 1979....
, editor of Ripped and Torn fanzine, Ray GangeRay GangeRay Gange is a former actor from London, England, best known for his portrayal of the roadie who starred in the film Rude Boy. The film won various awards but Gange did not continue his film career....
, star of The ClashThe ClashThe Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
film Rude BoyRude Boy (film)Rude Boy is a 1980 British film directed by Jack Hazan and David Mingay and filmed in 1978 and early 1979.The film, part fiction, part rockumentary, tells the story of Ray Gange, a Clash fan who leaves his job in a Soho sex shop to become a roadie for the band...
, Toby Mott, artist, writer and collector; Teal Triggs, author of the Thames & HudsonThames & HudsonThames & Hudson is a publisher of illustrated books on art, architecture, design, and visual culture. With its headquarters in London, England it has a sister company in New York and subsidiaries in Melbourne, Singapore and Hong Kong...
book Fanzines, Peter YorkPeter YorkPeter York, real name Peter Wallis, born 1943, is a British management consultant, author and broadcaster most famous for co-authoring Harpers & Queen's The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook with Ann Barr...
, style writer and author of The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook.
- CrassCrassCrass are an English punk rock band that was formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, way of living, and as a resistance movement. Crass popularised the seminal anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, and advocated direct action, animal rights, and environmentalism...
, Andrew Roth Gallery, New York, February 2011, accompanied by the publication: Crass 1977 - 1984, PPP Editions, 2011
- Loud Flash: British Punk on Paper, Honor FraserHonor FraserHonor Fraser is a Scottish art dealer in California and a former British fashion model. She is the sister of the 16th Lord Lovat and was brought up at Beaufort Castle in Scotland.-Early years:...
, Los Angeles, July 2011 accompanied by the publication: Loud Flash: British Punk on Paper at Honor Fraser, designed by Brian Roettinger.
On the occasion of the exhibition at Honor Fraser a panel discussion took place moderated by Professor Vivien Goldman
Vivien Goldman
Vivien Goldman is a British journalist, writer and musician. She was born in London, the child of two German-Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany. She studied English and American literature at the University of Warwick...
of the NYU Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts
Tisch School of the Arts is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University ....
, panel members: Gardar Eide Einarsson, Artist, Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
, Punk Musician, Toby Mott, artist, writer and collector, Simon Reynolds
Simon Reynolds
Simon Reynolds is an English music critic who is well-known for his writings on electronic dance music and for coining the term "post-rock". Besides electronic dance music, Reynolds has written about a wide range of artists and musical genres, and has written books on post-punk and rock...
, British author and music journalist.
- We Have Our Own Concept of Time and Motion: Auto Italia South EastAuto Italia South EastAuto Italia South East is an non-profit Artist-run space, founded in 2007 and co-run by Kate Cooper, Amanda Dennis and Richard John Jones. Currently located on the Old Kent Road Peckham, South London in a donated used car showroom, Auto Italia is both an artist-run project space and a site for...
, London, 25 – 28 Aug
- Nothing in the World But Youth, Selections from the Mott Collection: ThatcherMargaret ThatcherMargaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
's youth, Turner Contemporary, Margate, 17 Sept 2011 – 8 Jan 2012 accompanied by the publication: Nothing in the World But Youth, ISBN 978-0-9552363-3-4
- We Are the Writing on the Wall: MoMA PS1: NY Art Book Fair, New York City, 30 September – 2 October accompanied by the publication: 100 Fanzines/10 Years of British Punk - 1976–1985, PPP Editions ISBN 978-0-9826431-0-5 On the occasion of the exhibition at MoMA PS1 a panel discussion took place on the history of British punk fanzines, moderated by Professor Vivien GoldmanVivien GoldmanVivien Goldman is a British journalist, writer and musician. She was born in London, the child of two German-Jewish refugees from Nazi Germany. She studied English and American literature at the University of Warwick...
of the NYU Tisch School of the ArtsTisch School of the ArtsTisch School of the Arts is one of the 15 schools that make up New York University ....
, Toby Mott, artist, writer and collector, Joly MacFie, fanzine publisher, Victor Brand writer, Michael Gonzales afro-punk music writer.
The Mott Collection - CRASS exhibition
In February 2011 Mott exhibited another part of his collection, CrassCrass
Crass are an English punk rock band that was formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, way of living, and as a resistance movement. Crass popularised the seminal anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, and advocated direct action, animal rights, and environmentalism...
, selections from The Mott Collection, an exhibition of over 130 objects and artifacts centered on the anarchic, self-produced culture of the British band Crass
Crass
Crass are an English punk rock band that was formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, way of living, and as a resistance movement. Crass popularised the seminal anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, and advocated direct action, animal rights, and environmentalism...
, featuring significant pieces by Gee Vaucher
Gee Vaucher
Gee Vaucher is a visual artist who was born in 1945 in Dagenham, East London.Her work with Anarcho-punk band Crass was seminal to the 'protest art' of the 1980s. Vaucher has always seen her work as a tool for social change. In her collection of early works Crass Art and Other Pre Post-Modernist...
, and the influential Crass logo by Dave King, Roth gallery, New York. The exhibition featured artwork, albums and ephemera, including original 12” LPs and EPs, 7” singles from Crass Records
Crass Records
Crass Records is an independent record label which was set up by the anarchist punk band Crass.-Overview and history:Prior to the formation of Crass, Penny Rimbaud and Gee Vaucher had published their creative works via their own Dial House based Exitstencil Press...
, and a complete set of Crass
Crass
Crass are an English punk rock band that was formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, way of living, and as a resistance movement. Crass popularised the seminal anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, and advocated direct action, animal rights, and environmentalism...
’ iconic house zine, Inter-National Anthem. The material featured in the exhibition spanned the high period of Crass
Crass
Crass are an English punk rock band that was formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, way of living, and as a resistance movement. Crass popularised the seminal anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, and advocated direct action, animal rights, and environmentalism...
’ endeavors, from 1978 to 1984, and constitutes a special segment of The Mott Collection. Says Mott: "Crass
Crass
Crass are an English punk rock band that was formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, way of living, and as a resistance movement. Crass popularised the seminal anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, and advocated direct action, animal rights, and environmentalism...
ended its own story in 1984 a suitable Orwellian demise - but while active they were nothing but authentic, inspiring and principled in a cynical age, answering to no one but themselves."
The Roth Gallery exhibition was also accompanied by a publication: Crass 1977 - 1984, PPP Editions, 2011
Toby Pimlico
Toby Pimlico is a fashion label based on paintings by Toby Mott.Mott began making paintings based on detention school ‘lines’ such as “I Will Try Harder”; these were then transferred onto t-shirts, transforming them into a recognisable design motif. He came up with the brand name, Toby Pimlico, and an initial six designs, including “I Must Not Chase the Boys” and “I Have Nothing To Wear”.
The T-shirts began to have a cult following after being worn by Kate Moss
Kate Moss
Kate Moss is an English model. Moss is known for her waifish figure and popularising the heroin chic look in the 1990s. She is also known for her controversial private life, high profile relationships, party lifestyle, and drug use. Moss changed the look of modelling and started a global debate on...
, the actress Sienna Miller
Sienna Miller
Sienna Rose Diana Miller is a British-American actress, model, and fashion designer, best known for her roles in Layer Cake, Alfie, Factory Girl, The Edge of Love and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. In 2007, the London Film Criticsnamed her British Actress of the Year for Interview...
, Geri Halliwell
Geri Halliwell
Geraldine Estelle "Geri" Halliwell is an English pop singer-songwriter, author and actress. After coming to international prominence in the late 1990s as Ginger Spice, a member of the girl group the Spice Girls, Halliwell launched her solo career in 1998 and released her album Schizophonic...
from The Spice Girls and It Girl
It girl
"It girl" is a term for a young woman who possess the quality "It", absolute attraction.The early usage of the concept "it" in this meaning may be seen in a story by Rudyard Kipling: "It isn't beauty, so to speak, nor good talk necessarily. It's just 'It'."...
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson
Tara Palmer-Tomkinson also known as T P-T, is an English socialite, "it girl", television presenter, columnist and model...
. The label also received praise from the Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales is a title traditionally granted to the heir apparent to the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the 15 other independent Commonwealth realms...
.
Other slogans are used to promote social consciousness, such as the Marie Curie
Marie Curie
Marie Skłodowska-Curie was a physicist and chemist famous for her pioneering research on radioactivity. She was the first person honored with two Nobel Prizes—in physics and chemistry...
-inspired 'love you to death.'
The label was launched at London Fashion Week in 1998.
The Brand now includes a range of tea towels, maternity wear and knickers.
Mott responded to his own success and transition from Punk to artist-businessman by calling himself a ‘Gold Card Anarchist’
2005 arrest & Personal life
In 2005, Mott was involved in an incident with a "gang" of youths near his home in Notting Hill GateNotting Hill Gate
Notting Hill Gate is one of the main thoroughfares of Notting Hill, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically the street was a location for toll gates, from which it derives its modern name.- Location :...
; according to the British newspaper The Daily Mail, Mott called the police after the assault and told them he was carrying CS gas
CS gas
2-chlorobenzalmalononitrile is the defining component of a "tear gas" commonly referred to as CS gas, which is used as a riot control agent...
for his own protection. He was then arrested for possession of a weapon and held for 11 hours at high-security Paddington Green police station
Paddington Green Police Station
Paddington Green Police Station is located in Paddington, central London, England. The station is operated by the Metropolitan Police Service, and is a conventional police station, open to members of the public twenty-four hours a day. It also serves as the most important high-security station in...
.
In 2000 Mott dated the actress Emilia Fox
Emilia Fox
Emilia Rose Elizabeth Fox is an award-winning English actress, known for her role as Dr. Nikki Alexander on BBC crime drama Silent Witness, having joined the cast in 2004 following the departure of Amanda Burton. She also appears as Morgause in the BBC's Merlin beginning in the programme's second...
.
Mott divorced celebrity hairdresser Louise Galvin in 2008 after one year of marriage, as reported in the Evening Standard. Mott met Galvin through a mutual friend, she was already several months pregnant when they married. "The marriage was never going to work, I discovered Louise had matching Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Malletier – commonly referred to as Louis Vuitton , or shortened to LV – is a French fashion house founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton. The label is well known for its LV monogram, which is featured on most products, ranging from luxury trunks and leather goods to ready-to-wear, shoes,...
luggage" says Mott.
Their daughter was born In 2007.
Other useful links
- Punk RockPunk rockPunk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
- Jamie ReidJamie ReidJamie Reid is a British artist and anarchist with connections to the Situationists. His work, featuring letters cut from newspaper headlines in the style of a ransom note, came close to defining the image of punk rock, particularly in the UK...
- Rock Against RacismRock Against RacismRock Against Racism was a campaign set up in the United Kingdom in 1976 as a response to an increase in racial conflict and the growth of white nationalist groups such as the National Front. The campaign involved pop, rock and reggae musicians staging concerts with an anti-racist theme, in order...
- British National FrontBritish National FrontThe National Front is a far right, white-only political party whose major political activities took place during the 1970s and 1980s. Its popularity peaked in the 1979 general election, when it received 191,719 votes ....
- The Sex Pistols
- CrassCrassCrass are an English punk rock band that was formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, way of living, and as a resistance movement. Crass popularised the seminal anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, and advocated direct action, animal rights, and environmentalism...
External links
- Interview with Toby Mott on Talking About My Generation
- Interview with Toby Mott at D&AD
- Panel discussion: 100 Fanzines/10 Years of British Punk: 1976-1985
- Toby Mott talks about Jeremy Paxman's underwear
- Punk on Paper panel discussion, Honor Fraser Gallery
- Haunch of Venison Panel Discussion video
- Huffington Post - The Punk Movement: 10 Years of British Punk Chronicled
- Andrew Roth Gallery
- Haunch of Venison
- Toby Mott in Gilbert & George's 'The Existers' (In yellow suit, seated next to George)