Fire extinguishers, tyres, wheels and basketball balls, combined with graphics of large-leafed plants, fruit and text – these are the elements of Lucas Prices’s sculptures, drawings and paintings in his solo exhibition “Dumb Poetry” at Lazarides Rathbone in London. Lucas Price started out as a street artist called Cyclops in the East End of London, where some of his early work still survives, while living rough on the streets.  Here he developed his distinctive “hyper-real” style as he records what he sees: “The whole point is that it’s a record rather than some expressive moment”. (Lucas Price)

In this exhibition of his recent paintings and sculptures, Price uses urban elements such as tyres and fire extinguishers, shown perfect and unblemished even when basket balls are deflated. His work is precise, clean and sharp as he explores the relationship between the objects, graphics and text, linking with poetry, hence the title of the exhibition “Dumb Poetry”. The clean lines of Prices’ work subtly reinforces the associations he wishes to create as he combines items and images from contemporary urban culture with poetic texts.