A new collaborative exhibition featuring three internationally renowned artists has opened at Newport Street Gallery, but the result has been met with harsh criticism from art reviewers. "Triple Trouble" brings together the work of Damien Hirst, street artist Shepard Fairey, and pixelated art creator Invader in what was intended to be a groundbreaking artistic collaboration.
The exhibition, hosted in Hirst's own gallery, showcases new collaborative works that attempt to blend the distinctive styles of these three celebrity artists. However, critics argue that the combination has produced what one reviewer described as "a cultural smoothie that tastes vaguely of fame, money and disappointment." The three artists are already household names in the contemporary art world – Hirst is famous for his preserved animal installations, Fairey created the iconic OBEY poster campaign, and Invader is known for placing pixelated alien mosaics in urban spaces worldwide.
Visitors to the exhibition encounter room after room of what appears to be mass-produced art with exclusive price tags. One of the most notable pieces features a pickled space invader that replaces Hirst's famous preserved shark, though critics note that this drains both concepts of their original meaning. The alien design itself isn't even original, being directly cloned from 1970s computer games rather than representing new creative territory.
The collaboration between the artists often appears forced and awkward throughout the gallery spaces. Invader's pixelated works are integrated into Fairey's mural-style pieces, creating what one observer described as looking "like an awkward party guest who didn't get the memo." The Rubik's Cube-inspired murals initially seemed promising to reviewers, but closer inspection revealed that all the murals follow identical patterns, creating repetition rather than meaningful variation.
The overall aesthetic of the exhibition has been criticized as resembling a sterile, commercialized environment rather than an authentic artistic space. Critics have compared the experience to "stepping into a griege McMansion filled with grey furniture, grey walls and owned by people with grey imaginations." The whitewashed rooms filled with plastic art installations have been described as lacking the authenticity and creative spark that made each artist's individual work compelling.
One particularly pointed criticism focuses on how Fairey's "OBEY" imagery functions within the exhibition context. Rather than its original message of questioning authority and compliance, the work now seems to instruct viewers to pretend they're enjoying the art simply because it's created by "Three Famous People," according to reviewers.
"Triple Trouble" will remain open at Newport Street Gallery through March 29, 2026, and admission is free to the public. The gallery operates Tuesday through Sunday from 10 AM to 6 PM. Despite the critical reception, art market observers expect that collectors will eagerly purchase pieces from the exhibition once it closes, driven more by the celebrity status of the creators than by any inherent artistic merit the collaborative works might possess.
