Eelus – Hold On To What You Got (Smiley Edition)(PP)

About Eelus

Lee Pennington’s art career began in the north of England in the late ’80s. At around 10 years old he peddled a small edition of hand-drawn Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles posters to his friends in the school playground for 10p each. The sale was a marginal success,
allowing him to buy an extra chocolate bar or two on his way home.

The early ’00s and a move to London open Lee’s eyes to the emerging world of street art. He begins to experiment with his own stencil-based works, painting under the moniker of Eelus. It’s after Banksy encounters the work on the streets of the East End that everything changes for Lee, and after a 17-year hiatus, he releases his second edition through the legendary print studio Pictures on Walls.

The image, a young girl taking a Star Wars At-At for a walk, sells out in record time,
securing Eelus’s place as a favorite amongst collectors. The image itself becomes iconic, helping define the early days of a rising art movement.

After repeat success with more sell-out editions, Eelus receives another invite from Banksy, this time to paint at his now infamous ‘Cans Festival – A Street Party of Stencil Art’ in Waterloo, London. His mural and stencils became a highlight for many of the thousands of people who visited the landmark outdoor exhibition.

Eelus has since painted and exhibited worldwide alongside key figures within the movement. The desirability of his work is evident in the success of his solo exhibitions and sell-out print editions.

In early 2021, determined to transform the darkness of the COVID-19 pandemic into a catalyst for positive personal change, Eelus forced himself to re-evaluate and reflect on his art practice, resulting in a radical shift in style and medium.

Combining seemingly disparate elements from a wide range of found imagery taken from pop culture, film, graphic design, and art history, his strange and colorful visual language is applied to paintings, prints, murals, and 3D work, all of it in search for a sense of
balance as he brings opposing forces together, exploring the relationships between light and dark, humor and the macabre and beauty in the mundane.

He currently lives beside the sea in Brighton, UK, with his partner, their daughter, two cats, and Arty the dog.