Locals in Bournemouth were outraged when ‘Pot Shop’, appeared opposite St. Michael’s Primary School in The Triangle, in a disused Post Office building.
Locals misconstrued a latest art installation by British Artist Stuart Semple when they saw the sign mistaking it for a cannabis cafe.
Earlier this week the doors opened to British Artist Stuart Semple’s latest art installation. A shopfront in the seaside town of Bournemouth dedicated to 4 of his great loves, Asian instant noodles, indie magazines Keith Haring and great coffee.
Stuart Semple who is a Bournemouth resident is one of the UK’s leading post YBA artists. He has just launched a new charity fund, Designs for Humanity, which will be helping local families over Christmas pay for food, fuel and toys: www.designsForHumanity.org.
He is also know for taking on artist Anish Kapoor who secured the exclusive rights to use Vantablack, the blackest substance on earth, meaning that no artists would be able to use the pigment.
He is well-known internationally, having worked with Lady Gaga, The Prodigy and Gary Numan. Semple has held 15 critically acclaimed solo exhibitions around the world, including in Hong Kong, New York, Los Angeles and Milan. He has featured in over 50 group exhibitions alongside artists such as Peter Doig, Basquiat, Warhol, Richard Prince, Ai Wei Wei and The Chapman Brothers.
Whilst installing the new concept last week the artist switched on his ‘Pot Shop’ neon piece in the window. This caused outrage amongst parents of the schoolchildren believing the shop would be promoting the use of marijuana. A group have also set up an online petition, calling on the local council to ‘shut it down’.
Stuart Semple responded to complaints by issuing the following statement:
“I am so sorry that people misunderstood the situation. The art installation I made sells rare imported POT NOODLES from around the globe and is in no way related to the use of illegal substances. It pays homage to one of my art heroes Keith Haring, and I’ve hand-painted the inside to salute his 1980s POP SHOP store that he made in NYC. I really thought the people of Bournemouth would enjoy the noodles, super cool magazines and vegan sugar free cakes for the kids. Sorry if I hurt anyone’s feelings. I meant pot as in ‘pot noodles’ – not pot as in drugs.”
While refuting the claims that he would be selling marijuana, he admitted to being somewhat of a potty mouth:
“I did make a sign that says ‘Shit Hot Coffee’ and loads of people have come in and had a word, including Vera the lolly pop lady. Apparently, the headmaster from the school is writing a letter, so I admit I misjudged that, and I’ll make sure the s-word isn’t visible during school times for the kids. I’m really sorry…I want pot shop to be welcoming for everyone!”
The store boasts over 30 kinds of instant noodles, some of them extremely rare, such as the imported Pokémon noodles from Japan and the amazing Korean noodles – allegedly the hottest on the planet! The interior is a chance to see work by Stuart Semple in his hometown and includes painting, neon works and sculptures by the artist.
Let’s hope as the days get colder, parents will forgive him and indulge in a nice coffee and pot noodle while they wait for the school bell.
Pot Shop is open daily, 8am – 6pm
The Old Post Office
204 – 206 Commercial Road
Bournemouth
Dorset
BH2 5NF
Twitter & Instagram : @stuartsemple
