Hayden Kays
Hayden Kays
Hayden Kays is widely described as one of the most provocative artists of his generation for his celebration and critique of Western culture and the systems we live in. He demonstrates classically trained sensibilities mediated with his own contemporary concerns, his works often revealing a variety of present day plights of our own making. His plastic pollution-oriented print was the best selling artwork at the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition 2019 and was also purchased by the RA’s Chief Executive, Axel Rüger. Hayden’s work is mischievous yet playful, characterised by bold imagery often drawn from popular culture and art history, balanced with acerbic word-play, traditional craftsmanship and deadpan humour. He is also known for his work with over twenty charities, including Choose Love,Teenage Cancer Trust and The Big Issue.
Using everyday references and pithy witticisms, his work relates to and subverts the canon of the Pop Artists of the 1950s and the Young British Artists movement of the 1990s. Kay’s hard-hitting messages have caught the eye of many supporters and collectors, such as Rankin and contemporary art bad boy, Jake Chapman.