We first spotted Haunted Fork’s artistic style over on Instagram and immediately wanted to see more. Haunted Fork aka Steve Sadler is now preparing for his debut solo show, which launches on Friday 26 June.

Ahead of the opening we caught up with Steve to find out more about the show, his vision and what’s next.

Tell us all about your new exhibition

Creep Show is my debut solo show which I’ve been busy working towards for the last few months. It’s a visual feast packed with creepy creations in different forms. My style has evolved since taking on a studio space at the fantastic Studioname. I’ve been going nuts with spray paint, throwing paint around and exploring new mediums. It’s taken my work in a different direction and I’m excited to show you all where I’m at! It opens its doors this Friday 25th June, 6-9pm at Studioname. It’s set to be a great evening with a free drink and lots of talented, local artists and lovely folk to chat to and of course, some great art on display. It’s a socially distanced event with safety precautions in place to ensure our community is kept safe, so please bring a mask!

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How would you describe your style for someone who isn’t familiar?

Unique! It fuses the strange and bizarre with the intensity of fluorescent colours, with spray paint, stencils and an endless supply of paint markers thrown in for good measure. I’m not restricted by canvas as you’ll see at the show. I’ll work on recycled cardboard, walls and anything else that gets in my way!

What is special about the Leicester art and creative scene?

The Leicester art scene is packed full of talented, friendly creatives who are incredibly dedicated and hardworking as well as being very generous with their time and always willing to support each other on their journeys. It’s an awesome community and I urge anyone with a creative itch to scratch to get involved.

How long have you been creating pieces as Haunted Fork?

Haunted Fork was born shortly before I won a prize at the Leicester Open 30 exhibition at Leicester Museum & Art Gallery at the end of 2019. This gave me the opportunity of a group show at the LCB Depot, and opened up a whole load of opportunities.

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What is your favourite piece you’ve ever done?

One of my favourites is a piece called ‘Creep’, and has been created specifically for Creep Show in 16 colour variations on recycled cardboard. I’m offering these at a discounted price of £50 each to those that attend the opening event on Friday.

How did you find it staying creative during lockdown?

Lockdown was tough for everyone in many ways, but creatively it allowed a lot of people to explore creative avenues that may not have been possible pre lockdown. I haven’t stopped creating throughout, but lockdown did allow me to focus more on the art without many of life’s distractions.

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How important do you think things like the new Leicester Contemporary are to the city?

The Leicester Contemporary is hugely exciting for Leicester. It brings world class art to the city centre and opens up new audiences which will in turn inspire the community. Andrew Birks and The Company of Artists have done a blinding job bringing it to fruition and I can only see it going from strength to strength. If you’re yet to visit you really must! The current group show of works by members of The Company of Artists ends on the 9th July.  

What’s next after this exhibition?

After the exhibition closes I’m clearing off to Cornwall for a week to recover. Then I’ll be back refreshed and ready to create bigger and better than before. My brain is full of ideas and I’m extremely excited about the future.

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Where can people see the exhibition?

Studioname, 2 Brougham Street, Leicester LE1 2BA. It runs from Friday evening 6-9pm until Sunday 4th July. Weekends are best if you’re unable to make the open evening. I’ll be there to show you around between 10am – 4pm. If you have any questions about the show feel free to message me through my website www.hauntedfork.com and give me a follow at www.instagram.com/haunted.fork