Craig Cooper
His ancestry is working class, he is a self taught creative.
Found art at eight years old, discovered surrealism at fifteen, went to Salford Art College but left on the principle that art is not an academic subject where creativity is judged as knowledge.
Craig befriended the late great George Melly, jazz singer and surrealist collector who introduced him to the European network. 1990 witnessed Craig's entire life's work destroyed during an illegal eviction and subsequently went to court, taking seven years to receive successful compensation with the help of Mr Melly amongst others. This opened the door to a successful show at Leeds City Gallery Time Exposed Stepping Stones- Surrealism and Acid House which attracted over 35,000 visitors, a record for the gallery.
Through his art life he has lived a very nomadic life staging self managed shows in Manchester, London, St. Ives, Paris, Leeds and San Antonio (Texas) and through his running of Speakeasy nightclubs in London's Shoreditch, Craig was able to manage a gallery, meet and greet high profile public people and fund his other projects.The comedy and the tragedy of his plight has lead to his obsession with inventing his own flowers, his own garden of Eden as well as his boyhood fixation, that women did not come from a man's rib but from mother.
His new show will illuminate this rendering of the Eden myth as it will shine light on the countless magnificent women of human history amongst the flowers, dark and light.
Beyond the Garden of Eden
The perpetual motion machine whose only purpose is its own activity
