S Mark Gubb: Good Sailing

It’s one heck of a commission – a large, interesting outdoor wall space at a newly-opened gallery, and fortunately S Mark Gubb has risen to the challenge at Liverpool’s Open Eye Gallery with this eye-catching mural. The unusual colour scheme and use of geometric trickery is derived from dazzle camouflage, designed by the British in World War One in a bid to protect their warships, while the quotation is the last words of American philosopher Henry David Thoreau. Channelling the gallery’s dockside location, Liverpool’s maritime history and the way art can smuggle ideas into mainstream society, it’s going to be a hard act to follow.