STYLE | Art
The shining Nai l varnish is a tricksy, risk y medium to work with. But for artist and ex hibition curator Sy rett it has opened new doors in both fashion and art
W
hen you arrive at the house of an artist whose medium is nail varnish you expect to meet somebody effete, petite. You expect his art to be ephemeral, superficial, dashed off perhaps. Nail varnish, after all, puts on and takes off an image instantly. So much for preconceptions.
By R oz W h ista nce Pictu res Ju l ia n Wi nslow
Syrett is tall, substantial, casually dressed, northern. He is welcoming, with a dry humour and conversation that reflects a huge and varied life in the arts. So the intricacy with which he describes his work comes as something of a surprise. “Look at this, it’s like ice cream – and that opalescence, that’s where there
32
styleofwight.co.uk
are tiny pyramids reflecting the light. So pretty – like sweeties. See this little raised bit – that slight roughness like old skin? Those are happy accidents and I really like those.” Syrett creates roundels of moonscapes, skies, otherworldly landscapes, oceanic dreams: they become what you see. The iridescence of colour, the captured movement, the spikes of pigment create works that apparently glow beyond the two dimensions of the board. Going with the happy accidents and moving with the swirls that life throws up is something of a theme. “I graduated in textiles from Liverpool, and ran Icon, the dance nightclub there. At the same time, I became a
