boris johnson — Blog

Hand stitched paper to cloth collage, 2022.

30 x 26cm, unframed.

Discarded paper (cut from newspapers during January 2022) hand-stitched to Dad’s shirt. Sewn, using Judith Cash’s old thread, to acid-free watercolour paper from a charity shop.

Face: Virginia Guiffre. Getty*. Metro 27.1.22. Article by Dominic Yeatman about Virginia Guiffre accusing Andrew Mountbatten Windsor of sexually abusing her when she was 17, and her lawyer saying, ‘We look forward to confronting Prince Andrew with his denials and attempts to blame Ms Guiffre for her own abuse’. The Windsors later paid £12m for an out-of-court settlement. In 2025 she took her own life, at the age of 41. “I am making it publicly known that in no way, shape or form am I suicidal. I have made this known to my therapist and doctor. If something happens to me – for the sake of my family do not let this go away and help me to protect them. Too many evil people want to see me quieted.” Virginia Guiffre.

Red military uniform with medals and hat: Andrew Mountbatten Windsor. Getty*. iPaper 28.1.22. Article by David Parsley and Joe Duggan about how Andrew Mountbatten Windsor’s legal team are attempting to have the above case thrown out of court on the grounds that Virginia Giuffre is a resident of Australia. In order for the case to take place in the US, at least one of the people involved must live there.

Green-sleeved arm: Novak Djokovic. AFP via Getty*. Metro 10.1.22. Article by David Gurney about the tennis player being kicked out of Australia, and the Open, for his refusal to get vaccinated against Covid-19.

Straight leg: From a photo Madonna posted on Instagram*, showing her bruised leg, amongst other things. Metro 14.1.22. Article, speculating about how the bruise was acquired and how ‘loose and limber’ Madonna looks at 63, by Tom Stichbury.

Hand with dog: Boris Johnson. PA/ Reuters*. Metro 25.1.22. Article by Joel Taylor about a birthday party held for Boris Johnson during the first lockdown, despite rules banning indoor social events. It showed a picture of BJ jogging with his dog, Dilyn.

Rest of body: Jude Hill as Buddy in ‘Belfast’, a 2021 film written and directed by Kenneth Branagh, which follows a young boy's childhood in Belfast at the beginning of ‘The Troubles’ in 1969. Cinematography by Hans Zambarloukos. Film advert. iPaper 21.1.22.

The articles are below. Some of them are hard to read. Apologies.

*The photo credits are as they appear in the articles from which the faces were cut. For the record, I don’t accept the name of a company as a photography credit. There was an actual person behind the camera. If you are that person, or know them, please give me a shout. Also, the information in the articles may be fabricated.

Getty*. iPaper 28.1.22. Article by David Parsley and Joe Duggan.

Getty*. Metro 27.1.22. Article by Dominic Yeatman. Sorry for the bad photo quality, I no longer have the newspaper.

Getty*. Metro 27.1.22. Article by Dominic Yeatman.

AFP via Getty*. Metro 10.1.22. Article by David Gurney.

PA/ Reuters*. Metro 25.1.22. Article by Joel Taylor.

Cinematography by Hans Zambarloukos. Film advert. iPaper 21.1.22.

For the second time in seven years, ‘Lying Naked’ is out in the wild.

In 2018 it was sentenced to under-bed prison, after being hung in the National Gallery (for one night) when it reached the shortlist of the Evening Standard Art Prize. It didn’t win. Costly framing was out of the question, so I nailed it to a lump of wood. Last April it was released, as part of ‘(a contemporary) phantasmagoria’, a group show which coincidentally also had work by Matthew Collings who was one of the judges on the art prize. And now that group show rides again. In Liverpool.

‘(a contemporary) phantasmagoria 2’, continues until 29th April, 2025. Cornerstone Gallery, Liverpool Hope University, L6. 9 - 5 weekdays, 9 - 4 weekends. Hours may change at Easter. Curated by John Bunker and Ken Turner.

Lying Naked, 2018

Hand-stitched newspaper to cloth

38 x 51cm.

Left to right:

1 The Lion Man of Ulm, thought to be about 40,000 years old. Carved from mammoth ivory and discovered in Germany in 1939. Cut from the London Evening Standard, 6.9.18. Photo: Oleg Kuchar/ Museum Ulm. Taken from a book review, by Douglas Murray, of ‘Living With The Gods: On Beliefs And Peoples’ by Neil McGregor (Penguin, 2018). Also a Radio 4 series.

‘Pink Pussy Hat’ from the anti-Trump marches. Cut from the London Evening Standard, 4.9.18. The photographer appears to be uncredited, however, there is a photo of Ian Hislop on the same page credited as J Fernandes/ D Hubbard. Maybe this credit also applies to the hat photo? It was cut from a review, by Melanie McDonagh, of the British Museum exhibition, ‘I Object: Ian Hislop’s Search For Dissent’. I saw this exhibition. The hat was displayed in a glass cabinet as if valued, but the knitter was not named. I would’ve almost accepted ‘we tried to find the maker of this piece’, but nothing.

Feet of Boris Johnson, London 2012. From that photo when he was on the zipwire with a Union Jack in each hand. Barcroft Media*.

2. Torso of Donald Trump with the arm of his granddaughter, Arabella. Cut from the London Evening Standard, 30.7.18. Photographer uncredited.

‘Busting out the moves’ legs of Theresa May, Metro 31.8.18. PA*.

3. Jeanne Hébuterne as Nu couché (sur le côté gauche) by Amedeo Modigliani, 1917. Sold at Sotheby’s in New York for £116m. Cut from the Guardian, 12.5.18. Article by Rupert Neate. Photo: AFP/Getty*. Additional article by Miranda Bryant, London Evening Standard, 15.5.18.

Prosthetic leg with leather boot of Frida Kahlo. London Evening Standard, 17.5.18. Advertisement for ‘Making Herself Up’ exhibition at the V&A. Photo by Javier Hinojosa.

4 Torso of AJ Cook as JJ Jareau (Special Agent Jennifer Jareau) in ‘Criminal Minds’. Cut from the TV schedule page of the London Evening Standard, 29.3.18. Photographer uncredited.

Legs of Kendall Jenner ‘in feathers’ by designer Rick Owens. Photographer uncredited.

5 Torso of Kim Jong-un on a visit to a teacher training college in Pyongyang. London Evening Standard, 17.1.18. Photographer uncredited.

Skirt and left leg of Serena Williams, U.S. Open, 2018. ‘The 36-year-old wore a dress, designed by Louis Vuitton Men’s Artistic Director Virgil Abloh, as she beat Polish player, Magda Linette, in straight sets’. London Evening Standard, 28.8.18. Photographer uncredited.

Right leg of Natalie Portman, who ‘transformed herself into a punk for her film Vox Lux, in which she plays a musician called Celeste’. London Evening Standard, 1.3.18. Photographer uncredited.

*The photo credits appear as they did in the publication from which the images were cut. For the record, I don't accept the name of a company as the credit for a photograph. There was an actual person behind the camera. If you are that person, or know them, please let me know. Also, the information in the articles may be fabricated. I use the Evening Standard and Metro newspapers because they are free. I couldn’t afford to make my work if I bought a more ‘reputable’ publication every day.