Sage Vaughn is amongst Californiaʼs best-loved young contemporary painters. Michael Muller is a top-flight Hollywood lens man with a passion for wildlife photography. Together they make dramatic imagery celebrating the majesty of the natural worldʼs most fearsome creatures.

Kingdom is the muchanticipated sequel to the duoʼs 2011 debut exhibition Love Bites. Works from Love Bites were used as sleeve art by the band Red Hot Chili Peppers, and front man Anthony Kiedis attended the private view at The Outsiders London gallery.

Whereas Love Bites presented images of man-eating sharks, Kingdom showcases a plethora of apex predators including lions, wolves, eagles, sharks, and more. Sage Vaughn paints directly on top of Michael Mullerʼs vivid Cibachrome print photographs, using his trademark butterflies and brightly-coloured drips to present each animal as a prime example of aesthetic beauty.

The collaboration has also grown in scope and ambition, boasting highly embellished pieces. A close-up portrait of a male lion is just under two metres square in size. Michael Muller is noted for his innovations that include inventing the worldʼs most powerful underwater photographic lighting. Unconstrained by the difficulties of working in the deep his hues are even more lavish, and the atmosphere his images convey completely enveloping.

Sage Vaughnʼs sensitive but passionate painting is the ideal visual poetry to lend immediate sympathy to the subjects, reminding the viewer of a single ecosystem/organism that we all remain part of. Sage Vaughn comes to The Outsiders Newcastle fresh from a triumphant exhibition at Los Angelesʼ Moca art hub. He was selected by The Beastie Boysʼ Mike D for Transmission, a multi-media event curated by the Hip-hop superstar. Michael Mullerʼs achievements since Love Bites include photography for R ʻnʼ B star Rhiannaʼs album Unapologetic.

Sage Vaughn was born in Jackson, Oregon USA in 1976. Among his earliest memories is sketching animals at the local zoo alongside his father. In adulthood he often contrasts the natural world against melancholic backgrounds featuring the post-industrial landscape: he is quoted as “being interested in manʼs wild side, and animalsʼ civilized aspects.” The drips in the work are a reference to his younger years as a graffiti artist. His work also encompasses the intensity, hopes and losses of childhood and more recently a sense of community against the odds. It encompasses painting, sculpture and installation work. Sage has exhibited to considerable acclaim in New York, Los Angeles, Geneva and London including Children of a Lesser God at Lazarides Rathbone gallery in 2011.

Born in 1970 Michael Muller is Hollywoodʼs go-to photographer for science fiction movie documentation and marketing. His bold, crowd-pleasing work has led to a number of major editorial pieces and advertising campaigns, including a prestigious official post at IWC Schaufhausen. Mikeʼs first love is wildlife photography and he is credited with inventing the worldʼs most powerful underwater lighting techniques. Mikeʼs underwater photography even reached the Carson Daly talk show in the US. He works a great deal for charity, including on the Nothing But Nets campaign to hinder malaria in central Africa, and on Kids Clicking Kids which aims to teach photography to terminally ill children.

The Outsiders Gallery
77 Quayside
Newcastle Upon Tyne NE1 3DE United Kingdom
Ph. +44 (0)19 12212560
info@theoutsiders.net
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