Last Wednesday an exhibition we have been eagerly anticipating opened in London’s East End, namely Jimmy C’s ‘Atomised’ show at the Lollipop Gallery and it certainly didn’t disappoint. This show marks James Cochran’s, aka Jimmy C, first London exhibition in three years and it has been very much worth the wait.

The entire two floors of the gallery are used in displaying this interesting collection of works which focus upon the fundamental dualities of life, exploring the dichotomies between: male/female, light/dark and old/young. The upper floor of the gallery provides a brighter space, showcasing a cleaner and more polished environment to display works enthused with a strong sense of feminine energy. Adversely the lower floor is darker, dirtier and predominantly portrays masculine themed pieces along with several deconstructed and broken pieces.

At the centre of the shows focus lies the idea of ‘energy’, a recurring theme very much at the centre in much of Jimmy C’s works. one that takes on positive and negative manifestations in varying pieces, portraying in some cases a sense of destruction and in others a sense of creation.

Another recurring theme in this superb show is the use of circular and sphere driven motifs, alluding to traditional perception of such images rooted in symbology as the sun and planets, arousing a celestial overtone in many of his works. This imagery takes new tones in the context of the show with the sphere at the smallest level representing the atom, demonstrating how it is the smallest elements that contribute to the whole, creating Jimmy C’s works in his Pointillist driven styling.

Jimmy C’s style is influenced by a combination of Pointillism and the aboriginal culture of his native Australia. He started painting on the street in the early 1990’s as a part of the then growing Australian underground graffiti movement and has since gone on to hone his distinct ‘Aerosol-Pointillism’ style. Whats interesting in this show is how all the pieces aren’t constructed entirely of his more notable and commonplace ‘dots’, several pieces are built up from a more ‘dash’ driven approach. It was also very interesting to see some sculpture work from the artist, with a piece that really adds a 3D perspective on Jimmy C’s view of the world so prevalent in his painting. Finally it was great to see the exhibition embrace modern technology, most notably in the section which offer’s visitors to the show to sit in a chair and be projected on to the adjacent wall as Jimmy C Pointillist painting, paying homage to the history of portraiture in society and offering a far more democratic approach driven by technological advancements, that in this instance allows the individual with a camera or phone to be able have their own portrait taken.

Our favourite work from upstairs, a delightful portrait with the well placed sphere’s locating the girl at the centre of the universe.

A more minimalist piece, interesting for emphasizing the very core root of this exhibition and his approach to painting.

We just couldn’t resist the chance to have our photo taken in Jimmy C’s signature style through the use of digital software created by Stuart Cupit, which uses a Kinect 2 sensor to capture the contours of the subjects face. Then in real-time the software calculates where to place thousands of spray paint dots.

Great to see a twist on an iconic image in Jimmy C’s repertoire, what he calls ‘Street Heart’.

Fantastic to see this sculpture which really adds a 3D perspective on Jimmy C’s view of the world so prevalent in his painting.

A delightful example of his more abstract ‘Deconstructed Portraits’.

One of the shows highlights for us and presented superbly on bricks, paying homage to the place where Street Art so often occurs, on the outer-walls of the buildings around us.

The Lollipop Gallery is located at 58 Commercial Street, E1 6LT and the ‘Atomised’ exhibition runs until September 30th. Don’t miss it.