We speak to surrealist Maximillion Speed about collaborative art exhibition Circus of Life

If you’ve never had the chance to sit down with a Surrealist, I recommend you try it. They’re rare, but there’s a few of them about. Perhaps we’d all be better off if they were stationed in town squares and libraries for anyone in need of a spur of the moment mind-flip; a conversation that will scrub out the stains of mundanity from their day. One of the perks of this job is the different creative minds you get to meet, and if a Surrealist wants to come to the LeftLion office on a Monday morning to discuss creativity and gift a vintage playing card to each of the staff, that’s no problem for us.

Maximilion Speed has been creating images for over forty years, having once studied a Fine Art BA at Coventry Polytechnic. A teacher by trade, in a previous life he worked as a designer, creating album covers for musical acts such as KLF, De La Soul and Inspiral Carpets. But as much as this illustrious past is most likely ripe with its own stories, we skipped straight past the small talk to focus on the upcoming exhibition, Max’s current work, and a myriad of wonderful tangents, from guerilla advertising and art pranks to the tumultuous relationship between technology and creativity, and how art can teach us to question our realities…

“My work delves into dreams and surrealism, questioning what’s real and what’s not,” explains Max. “It’s fascinating how the brain interprets visuals differently. When you split an image and mirror it, you start seeing things that aren’t really there. In one of my prints, I noticed what looked like a skull when I got it back from the printers, but it only appeared when the image was doubled. I showed it to others, and some saw a beetle instead of a skull. Sight is one of the least reliable senses. The brain creates realities that don’t exist.”

Much of Max’s work comes from a technique he calls ‘transient collage’, in which objects are placed over photographs in layers that obscure the original image to create new meanings. While at first the details may seem arbitrary, the Surrealist train of thought suggests that each viewer’s interpretation of a piece of art can reveal something personal to them. For Max, engaging in this way can help people expand their imagination, recharge or find new ways of thinking. 

“Art is a different purchase than, say, a table, which can be aesthetically lovely but also practical. Art has a bit of extra content stored in it like a battery,” he explains. “You unleash that energy by engaging with it, letting it flow through your eyes into your brain. It’s like having a little holiday, you know? I like the idea that someone could get a piece of my art and look at it for years, seeing something new each time.”

In the face of our increasing consumption of art as fleeting ‘content’ on a screen, one of the aims of the exhibition is to bring this interaction away from technology and back into the physical. “Social media drains you. There’s something qualitatively different about seeing something in print or interacting with art in person,” says Max. “Scrolling can take you into a sort of vortex, whereas a beautiful painting on a wall - there’s a human story behind that, not corporate interest. We need more human interaction, more conversations, more debate. This exhibition ties into that - how art and real human connection are so vital. Everything else is transient, ephemeral.”

This isn’t all fluff talk. To kick the exhibition off with a bang, there will be a grand opening event on Friday 27 September which will feature circus performers, a live DJ and opportunities to meet the artists. There will be much more than the surreal to enjoy too, if you’re a fan of graphic art, emotive painting or playful sculpture, the exhibition will also present Corrina Rothwell's expressive figurative paintings, characterful line drawings and dioramas by Angela Walsh, and bold pop-out prints of Dick D. Spice. Additionally, Paula Reed’s work brings futuristic landscapes, while D.A. Orli (this month’s cover artist, who you can hear more from on page 14) invites you into a surreal world with playful exhibits from the Ersatz Museum.

“I hope that the audience engages with the exhibition, finds something fascinating—whether it’s a detail, a glimmer of an artist’s influence or experience. Hopefully, there’s something that matches someone’s interior,” Max says.

Throughout the exhibition there will be opportunities to take home prints or framed one off pieces at a range of price points, and visitors are encouraged to support the Nottingham art scene by treating themselves to a piece. “Art occupies a space that society doesn’t always make room for. I mean, making a living off art? It's nearly impossible. I have no idea how some people do it. I wish I could do it better, but even if we don’t make money from it, we’ll still keep creating. It’s not about the financial reward - it’s about that inner drive.

But it seems clear that the exhibition is about more than selling work, and rather more a celebration of creativity, the human condition, and things that only art can reveal. 

The Circus of Life exhibition runs from Saturday 28 September to Saturday 19 October at Surface Gallery. Head down to their opening celebration on Friday 27 September.

@circusoflife24