Movember exhibition at The Lauriston
Titan of the ‘tache: Lionel Richie (detail). By Ben Rix
Th is month people across the world will stop shaving and let their top lip whiskers grow wild to raise money and awareness for prostate cancer and men’s health.
But for illustrator and painter Ben Rix, the jibes from friends about his inability to grow a “sponsor worthy moustache” were enough to make him put down the moustache comb and pick up a paint brush.
His Movember Series is a collection of watercolour portraits of iconic musicians, all of whom are well known for their moustaches.
Paintings of Freddy Mercury, Lionel Ritchie and Carlos Santana all feature in the exhibition at the Lauriston pub on Victoria Park Road, as well as a portrait of Frank Zappa who himself died of prostate cancer in 1993.
Rix works in a variety of media, from large scale murals to animation, but he chose a di fferent style for this series.
He says: “I chose portraiture as I find it stirs great emotional reactions in people, which is very heart warming and gives huge purpose to my art.”
He is also open to those who would like to commission their own bespoke watercolour ‘mo’-mento.
“I am also taking requests for Movember portraits so if people want to commemorate their ‘tache or have a hairy lipped icon painted they can get in touch and cash from the sales will go towards the cause,” he says.
Until 15 November at The Lauriston, 162 Victoria Park Rd