Mat Collishaw, Bullet Hole
You can often find a wide-eyed Pete Doherty listening to some Studio 1 through a pair of 'cans' at the Collishaw brothers' chaotic little record shop off Brick Lane in London's East End. Kate pops in from time to time too. She and Pete like their dub reggae, as do the Collishaw brothers. Whilst Mat Collishaw is well-known for works such as Bullet Hole and for his colourful past with Ms Emin, his two brothers have yet to step into the art world limelight. Andy, infamous in the area for being a toothless but upstanding and rather effervescent member of the community, likes letting off fireworks to celebrate peoples' art openings. I've even heard him described as 'a silverback gorilla plugged into the mains'. He and brother Dave appear to now live behind the counter of their shop Nudge Records, or on a stool at the Golden Heart pub next door.
Everyone's welcome at Nudge Records. Mat makes his art downstairs; at least he did until the whole of the basement flooded a few months back. You can find some Abigail Lane wallpaper downstairs too, covering an old drinks bar. There's even a work by Mat's friend Sarah Lucas on the wall. Sarah likes giving presents of her work to friends. You'll often find a cardboard box pasted with Lucasesque images on different living-room shelves dotted around the East End. For Nudge Records, though, she donated a doctored photograph of her left breast in a lilac bra. Her nipple appears to be pierced with a gold safety pin, attached to which is a cigarette butt through which a flat matchbook type match is threaded to form a crucifix. A similar portrait sold for £15,000 at Art Basel Miami Beach last year.
Last week the good old bailiffs paid the three brothers a visit to reclaim what they thought was rightfully theirs. 'They were grubbing around in our pitiful little tin tray of pound coins that serves as our till and completely overlooked the picture,' said Mat. 'I don't think they're into art.' Fiscal balance has since been restored - the boys are now back on their feet. And they didn't even have to sell their Lucas.
Laura K Jones
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