The Real Hackney Dave

Dave Buonaguidi, AKA The Real Hackney Dave, harnesses the techniques of mass communication and propaganda to create playful and evocative statement artworks.
His intention is to forge a connection with his audience directly and to do this he presents assertive, amusing or uplifting phrases, often expressed in strong language which causes an instant reaction.
Working with found materials and images, Dave experiments with the practice of screen printing, exploring what becomes possible when you throw out the rule book. Much of his work is screen printed by hand onto vintage ephemera including photographs, maps, or copper plates so each individual piece has a unique history and narrative. He overlays these, often traditional images, with a huge variety of media including glitter, gold leaf and sprinkles; he has even incorporated pheromone spray into his work, challenging our view of what is possible or acceptable in a piece of artwork. “I love the idea of creativity with a purpose” he says. “There has to be a reaction.”
Dave was born and still lives, of course, in London where he went to art school before setting up a series of successful advertising agencies “in a past life”. This formative experience gave him the inside track on the power of matching up the right words with the right images, and the language and discipline of advertising has a significant role to play in his work. He cites pop art as another major influence, particularly the anarchic décollage of Jamie Reid, along with a vintage propaganda book which he was given by his Italian grandmother.