Tomorrow in the heart of London at a little comic shop / gallery you may have heard of, Orbital Comics will be hosting Dead Cats, the latest gallery show of comic artist (and Multiversity favorite) Christian Ward. Ward, who most recently wowed readers with his work on “Infinite Vacation” and in the pages of “Dark Horse Presents”, is bringing both art from his comic work with “Infinite Vacation” and brand new work in which he explores the multiverse through his art to Orbital’s gallery.
“The new work though is far more metaphorical in it’s approach,” Ward told us in discussion of the showing. “The idea of the multiverse and the very real science behind it is such a rich sea. After finishing “Infinite Vacation” I knew there was plenty more depth to explore. Dead Cats is very much about that.”
“Infinite Vacation,” for those unaware, followed the adventures of Mark, who lived in a world in which vacations were taken by entering into your shoes in an alternate reality where you turned out differently. Perhaps you became president or were a famous astronaut; either way, the regular shlub you who works at a nine to five could, for the right amount, inhabit that role for a brief period of time. And of course it all goes pear-shaped for Mark.
The showing itself is a mix of “Infinite Vacation” work, pictured here to the right, and work that Ward was inspired to do upon completion of the series. “The work stands on it’s on own two feet separate from “Infinite Vacation” but they certainly share DNA,” Ward said. “In the book I tried to use symbols to represent the different elements that me and Nick (Spencer, series writer) explored. Cubes and their facing sides represent different realities of the same whole. Triangles would represent some form of relationship. Trees and planets represent the ideas of realities branching away from each other and so forth. The new work in the show expands upon that.”
This is Ward’s first showing at Orbital, but not his first showing. “I missed having exhibitions. I used to be a painter and would have a show once a year or so,” Ward said. Ward’s background is varied and he got his beginning in illustration before moving on to teaching in London, but having taught comics as part of his curriculum Ward eventually found his way back to the art form. Since then he’s worked on books like “Olympus” and work with bands like the Pictish Trail. “I’d spoken with Orbital about doing something in their exhibition space and with the “Infinite Vacation” hardcover just getting released it seemed to be perfect timing to do a show.”
“When I painted I used to show at least once a year – although the themes that would connect the shows would be far less defined that here. It’d often be a case of a show of the old work that didn’t sell with the gaps filled in with new.”
However, Ward is excited to bring his work to the comic shop, which has in the past hosted comic talents and greats such as Emma Rios, Riley Rossmo, Becky Cloonan and a Jack Kirby tribute show. “I suppose it’s like the live performance of the album. For me it’s also about showing the work in a different context and a rather wonderfully at a completely different scale. I like how you can show the work at a far larger size.”
“There’s a different sense of immersion you get that from that that you don’t get from holding the book in your hand.”
As for the eponymous dead cats involved, it’s merely a riff on the multiversal theme of the show as well as a nod to Erwin Shrödinger and his famous cat experiment. “It’s a reference to Shrödinger’s cat – a thought experiment that involves the idea (see: no real cats were harmed) of a cat being hidden inside a box. The thinking behind it is that since you can not see or hear the cat inside the box and having no way of knowing if that cat was alive or dead that the cat would be both alive and dead simultaneously until the box was opened and the reality chosen.” Given the exploration of the multiverse contained within “Infinite Vacation” as well as the pieces for the gallery show, the date was picked to coincide with Schrödinger’s birthday this week (the 12th).
Continued below“So, yeah, I like cats, they’re alright.”
The show will begin tomorrow at 7:30 PM GMT at Orbital Comics in London. Featuring “Infinite Vacation” artwork and original art on show, a handful of limited edition prints featuring some of the covers and key moments of “Infinite Vacation” will be on sale, showcasing the work on a larger scale than it has been previously seen (“Infinite Vacation: the IMAX Cut”, as Ward puts it). The show will also feature new art, 8 of which will have large limited edition prints will be available as well (such as the one featured above to the left), inspired by the themes Ward and Spencer explored in “Infinite Vacation.”
For the full press release from Orbital Comics, please see below. And at the very least, go for me since I don’t live in London and wish I did right about now.
Orbital Comics Press Release
Orbital Comics in London will host Dead Cats, Christian Ward’s new exhibition, from August 15 to September 2.
Spinning out of the much-lauded Infinite Vacation mini-series from Image comics (co-created by Christian and Nick Spencer), Dead Cats features both art from Infinite Vacation, and new pieces exploring the possibilities of parallel universes and quantum mechanics. Christian recently worked with Matt Fraction on a DHP short called “The Time Ben Fell In Love”, and has been confirmed as co-creator, with Fraction again, on next year’s ODY-C. Coming from Image Comics, this will be a gender-swapped sci-fi take on Homer’s Odyssey.
Opening Night is Thursday, August 15, at 7:30. Click through to the event page on Facebook.
Orbital Comics
8 Great Newport Street,
London, United Kingdom
