Prefab77 , also known as Peter Manning, is a UK-based artist with origins and influences in England, California and New York.
His early training as an engraver and designer for Her Majesty in the British Army was fundamental in influencing his early UK-related subjects, then he went to New York to work in fashion and branding, influencing his current job. His fascination with portraiture and the female form stems from this period and is central to his imagery.
Living on Elizabeth Street in Nolita in the transitional '90s, between desperate marginal residents and jewelry stores protected by armed guards, he fell in love with the layers of graffiti and posters that, over the years, created a careless, urgent, idiosyncratic and serendipitous beauty. On his doorstep and adding to this intoxicating visual mix, works by Swoon, Faile, Obey, WK Interact began to appear, it was a revelation and a vocation turned obsession.
His current work is the result of all his influences and obsessions. Weaving small elements of popular culture – money, street, religious, musical and political affiliations – into visually beautiful allegorical portraits, they express an abstract idea or convey a meaning that is not explicitly defined in the narrative. A modern fable, a story or a warning, often political, sometimes anti-establishment, but always magnificent.
The style is fast, sharp-edged and stripped down, a dark world of gangs, goddesses and groupies, woven into a pure essence of rock and rebellion. A luxurious blend of print, acrylic, spray paint, collage and varnish.
