Mr Bingo doesn't need much of an introduction (if any!) in the creative scene, but in the words of the man himself…
Mr Bingo was a commercial illustrator for 15 years, working regularly for clients such as The New Yorker, The Guardian, TIME, CH4, The Mighty Boosh & The New York Times. An archive of the thousands of illustrations from this period doesn’t exist online because he got bored once in a motorhome and deleted his entire portfolio website.
In 2015 he launched a Kickstarter to fund a book about his Hate Mail project. The campaign featured a rap video and a diverse selection of rewards including being trolled, having your washing up done, going on a date in Wetherspoons, being told to fuck off on Christmas Day and getting shitfaced on a train.
He decided around this period to never work for clients ever again and focus on being some sort of artist which he’s done ever since.
After we missed his first Open Studio event in 2021 we finally made the pilgrimage across from Cardiff for this year's finale, before he 'fucks off for a while on New Year's Eve'.
It was hugely inspiring to take a look at his studio space which was covered from top to bottom with prints, original drawings, fan mail, souvenirs and generally weird postcards. After grabbing a beer we had a nose around the studio and spoke to Bingo himself about his journey from commercial illustrator to self-directed artist.
