O2: Masters Re-Mastered

Acclaimed urban artist Pure Evil and fine artist Paul Karslake have been commissioned by O2 to reimagine six of the most recognisable paintings of all time, bringing these classic paintings into the 21st century by imagining what is going on beyond the original artwork.

The O2 exhibition marks the launch of the new Samsung Galaxy S6 edge smartphone which allows you to see more with its extended screen. Each piece of art explores what would be going on outside the original piece of artwork if it were painted today, using the artists’ very particular and distinct styles.

The Shoreditch based Pure Evil, famous for re-imagining icons, has stayed true to form with three new pieces of art that include the wonderful ‘Self Portrait’ by Van Gogh depicted as hipster plying his trade in modern day Shoreditch, the couple from “American Gothic” now living in modern Las Vegas and Stubbs’ iconic horse Whistlejacket being tamed by jockey AP McCoy.

Fine artist Paul Karslake meanwhile has turned his unique imagination to transporting Jan Vermeer’s ‘Girl with a Pearl Earring’ onto a London bus sitting next to Boris Johnson, Rene Magritte’s ‘Son of Man’ enjoying a traditional British seaside and Edvard Munch’s ‘The Scream’ now depicting the reaction to Zayn Malik leaving One Direction.

The original artworks being reimagined are:
• American Gothic by Grant Wood (1930)
• The Scream by Edvard Munch (1893)
• The Son of Man by Rene Magritte (1964)
• Girl with a Pearl Earring by Jan Vermeer (c 1665)
• Self Portrait by Vincent Van Gogh (1887)
• Whistlejacket by George Stubbs (c 1762)

The artists look at what is happening around the original paintings and create a modern twist that celebrates what can be achieved when you can see more like on Samsung’s new phones. Both the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge feature amazingly clear screen technology, with Samsung’s 5.1 Quad HD Super AMOLED screens offering a staggering pixel density of 577ppi.

Each phone also features two incredibly vivid, bright and fast cameras with the ability to get directly to the camera in less than a second. Meanwhile the timeless metal and glass design of the S6 is complemented by the S6 edge’s unique and outstanding beauty and its world’s first curved display on both sides.

Pure Evil says, “Taking timeless pieces that I have always admired and reimagining and adding to them has been a motivating challenge, and having the chance to collaborate with O2 has allowed me to really push my creativity to another level in such a way that I haven’t done before. It’s visually eye-catching campaign and I can’t wait for people to enjoy it as much as I have.”

"This art is all about the fantastic things that can happen when you explore around the edge of a canvas, just like how brilliant things can happen when you explore everything new technology can do," said Magnus McDonald, Head of Devices for O2 in the UK. "We love helping customers get the most from their devices and look forward to helping them explore the new Samsung Galaxy S6 edge."