Hook to hold ‘once in a lifetime’ open studio tomorrow 

Acclaimed artist Christian Hook will open his Queensway studio to the public all day tomorrow in a “once in a lifetime” chance for locals to have direct access to some of his works. 

The ‘No Mud, No Lotus GIB Collection’ features 150 limited edition prints and 25 exclusive artist prints, each bearing Hooks personal handprint, a rare and intimate mark of authenticity that connects each piece directly to the artist himself. 

The pieces will be on show from 10am to 8pm on Wednesday, November 5, at Mr Hook’s Gibraltar studio at The Guardhouse, Queensway – opposite Ragged Staff Road. 

On the floors of the heritage building there are paint splats in neon hues, and counters and racks with paintbrushes, pigments, oils, and spray paint. 

For the public, tomorrow will offer a glimpse into the studio where Mr Hook has created some of his acclaimed works. 

Mr Hook is set to enter the Dubai market soon and expects the price of his artworks to surge, so in his view this is a last opportunity for locals to own one of this pieces.  

His original oil pieces currently sell for over £400,000, but to ensure locals have a chance to buy his works before price increases he will be showing prints and donating 10% of the proceeds to the GBC Open Day fund. 

Mr Hook said the prints have been personally produced by himself for the people of Gibraltar. 

“I've done the whole process for them to be top quality, and also there's 30 of each only,” he said. 

“It's not a big number, it's 30 of each, and they'll never be sold in the UK. sS I've done them, so that Gibraltar people can also have something, and we're contributing something to charity.” 

In another exciting development for the artist, he has recently purchased land between Sotogrande and Jimena where he will hold collaborations and show his artworks. 

The space he is set to call ‘Hypothesis’ will mix health with art, offering yoga and pilates alongside a space to exhibit. 

“That will be turned into my gallery,” Mr Hook said. 

“There I'll do collaborations with the top artists in other genres. So with fashion…and I'll sell from there from now on.” 

“So all the galleries from the UK, and from China, from wherever, I'll fly over and have the place ready.” 

“I've got already the chef from a Michelin star restaurant. I'm going to try and build it to that, but based on the idea of a picnic. So we've designed the boxes, we've designed everything.” 

He said the idea behind ‘Hypothesis’ is to cultivate an idea that hasn't been proved yet. 

“I want it to be like something that actually is a new way of working with the art world,” he said.  

“Where I don't enter the traditional pool of the arts, and I do my own thing.” 

Mr Hook will also be discussing his art at the Gibraltar Literary Festival in an event which is already sold out. 

The book ‘Antomy of a concept’ is now in its tenth run having previously sold out, and he will be shareing his creative journey and artistic process in with Rachel Simkissm Director of Brand and Partnerships at Clarendon Fine Art, in a panel discussion with journalist Alice Mascarenhas.  

“I couldn't believe it, because we had the first run, and it was sold out, so we did the second one, and if it doesn't sell out, we thought won’t do another run,” he said. 

“We're still rerunning from, since we made it. It's doing very well.”