'What's The Problem?' Ed Sheeran's paintings at Heni Gallery

By Elizabeth Maisey

Photo by Ellie Lawrie

On a side street in tourist-heavy Soho, an area full of private galleries and arts corporations which has become far removed from the more accessibly artistic haven it was in the eighties, a new free exhibition is open to the public – the recent abstract work of Ed Sheeran, on display at Heni gallery (which also represents Damien Hirst). The chart-topping musician first made the less-than-obvious segue into painting during the creation of his own album artwork.  

These bright abstract paintings take up three airy rooms, large expanses which often map across multiple canvases and are dissected into circular paintings. Sheeran’s series of ‘Cosmic Carpark’ paintings will soon be sold off at 900 pounds each for the benefit of the Ed Sheeran Foundation, in the hopes of improving accessibility to music and arts education in schools and youth clubs. These works have been criticised for their similarity to the work of Jackson Pollock, and as such derided for a perceived lack of effort comparatively to his paintings. The Guardian’s art critic Jonathan Jones criticised Sheeran’s work for a perceived lack of feeling, interpreting his use of abstraction as choosing to focus on aesthetic superficiality over any deeper practice. He derided Sheeran’s reluctance to get messy, pictured several times in a clean white hazmat suit. However, Sheeran said that he created these artworks as a form of catharsis, with the real intent behind displaying them being fundraising. 

Despite this arguably being the highest profile showing of his art, it is not the first time that the singer has raffled or sold his works for similar charitable causes – he did so in 2021, for a smaller cancer charity. To choose to sell paintings rather than, as often done, old recordings or merchandise to raise money for charity is a notable choice for a singer-songwriter. This focus on physical media contrasts the recent rise of AI and digital artworks such as NFTs. It is also a marker of the positive qualities of creating and viewing art, with the cheerfulness of the many fans queueing to enter the gallery for the first public viewing on Thursday indicative of the interest that Sheeran’s art in whatever form holds.  

Again, Sheeran intended his work to be seen as shown by its being on free public display and not simply sold online. This marks a direct opposition to the snobbishness many take around the consumption of art. In this case, the publicising of his work is the most important element to encourage its sale – the mobile phone camera a key method. 

Sheeran’s energetic painting skirts the boundaries of ‘artistry’, in the sense that he does not explicitly claim to be one himself, at least in this medium. Created in downtime from touring and recording, his works are ‘inspired by celestial patterns’. The expressive style is akin to the work of Jackson Pollock, the similarities between which have (perhaps due to common negative perceptions of abstract art in this style!) not been noted in the gallery’s brief. Despite the controversial stylistic parallels between them, it is the intentions behind the showing of Sheeran’s works’ that are significant.  

The importance of art in children and young people’s education is something which is still under-recognised in government funding and focus. With 92% of head teachers at primary and a quarter at secondary level saying they lacked funding and resources for arts education, to not acknowledge Sheeran’s very worthwhile fundraising is reductive especially considering a real terms cut of 18% from 2009-2023. Sheeran clearly enjoyed creating it; it’s hard to criticise Sheeran for encouraging that kind of enthusiasm for creativity, with multiple studies showing connections between increased positive mental health across age groups and viewing art. It is important to respect the concentration and creativity abstract art requires. Jonathan Jones’ recent aesthetic criticism of Sheeran’s work asserted the effort that abstract art requires. I second this, despite the oft-heard cry ‘I could have made that!’. This article is not to negate this criticism of Sheeran’s aesthetic similarity to Pollock’s brilliance. I simply choose to focus on the positive impact that Sheeran intends to have with the physical repercussions of his artworks - i.e., its sale. 

So, Sheeran’s focus is on making and having art for the sake of enjoyment and raising awareness of the importance of this for others. This is clear in the joy he took in making it, the eventual work he created, and his beneficial intentions with selling it on. What’s the problem? 

Cosmic Carpark Paintings by Ed Sheeran is on show at Heni Gallery until the 1^st of August. https://heni.com/editions/cosmic-carpark-editions