In his latest collection, Jamie Hewlett conjures a pop art inspired dystopian world in which clones are a reality. The significance of the subject matter is heightened by the means of production – rather than being mass produced prints, these are sensitively hand finished silkscreens. In turns out these artworks are not clones at all, but unique within a series. This inversion of clone to original underpins the tension across the whole body of work – cloning humans is illegal but if it were to happen what would be the consequence and cost? 

Paying homage to vintage sci-fi movies, the collection features four sets of clones, each one presenting a potential use for replicant humans: eroticism, policing, military and space exploration. They are strong and beautiful whilst emotionless and inflexible. Their physical purpose is strictly preordained and all humanity denied, and yet there is Hewlett’s hand streaking across the paper to bring each one to life with spray cans and pen in a distinct way. Recalling Warhol’s strident pop art language, and the sensitive moral quandary at the heart of the Pygmalion story, these fantasy clones exist in an interim space: fictive, powerful and unsettling.

Gorillaz release a special Record Store Day 2024 Deluxe Edition of their chart-topping 2023 album Cracker Island. The one-off release features six additional tracks that haven’t been available on physical formats before as well as exclusive new album artwork by Jamie Hewlett.