Artist Profile
Fenbi aka Lx Electric aka Liam Mercer (they/them) is a multi-disciplinary artist, performer, activist and therapist. They served as stage manager, lighting designer, writer and collective member of the ‘Sex Worker’s Opera’ company, and previously worked as a lighting and audio technician at the legendary Royal Vauxhall Tavern.
Their anthropomorphic cartoons were created mostly in ink and watercolour pens, displaying Fenbi’s playful sense of humour.
Works such as Clever Fox, Pouncing Rabbit and Lion, recall the imaginative qualities of our inner world which in childhood we may proudly and instinctively explore, without putting names on them.
In their abstract work Fenbi often explores their mental landscape, drawing on their experiences as a hard of hearing, neuro-diverse queer and trans person with a history of trauma and anxiety.
Fenbi’s work often includes the addition of tactile materials such as netting, wooden sticks, chord string and paint.
Several of Fenbi’s works include symbols from life’s journey: self-acceptance; understanding of the world and relationships; moments of confidence in our identity and our uniqueness; connection and trust; and the courage to spread our wings.
Fenbi’s paintings include representation of The Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT), a London venue built in 1865 which has been known as an LGBTQ+ cabaret venue since the 1980s.
Venues like the RVT play a vital role in community, providing a safe space for individuals to embrace their identity, develop their artistry and connect with co-creators.
London’s queerlesque scene is an important node in a global community of artists weaving audio description into the fabric of their art. They embrace and name diverse subjects, and treat accessibility as an art form in its own right. Leading UK practitioners pushing the boundaries of creative audio description techniques include Nathan Geering, Quiplash, Maria Oshody and Blind Burners’ own Ebony Rose Dark and Fenbi.
You can find more about Fenbi on their website – fenbipresents.com
Selfie
A photograph of Fenbi. A smiling white non-binary person with piercing blue/green eyes, a ginger goatee and mid-length curly ginger hair pushed off their forehead with a wide, navy headband. Thin straps reveal tattooed shoulders against a white background.
Clever Fox
A fox in glasses and wearing a red bow-tie sits reading a book. Ink and watercolour pen
Pouncing Rabbit
An ink and watercolour pen portrait of a giant rabbit pouncing on a lettuce in the sun
Coco
A detailed acrylic portrait of my childhood teddy bear against a red background and black and red textured floor. The bear is brown with black paws.
Hear I Am
A hearing aid shaped like a person rests inside an ear. The background is textured with sweeping brushstrokes in mainly flesh tones with hints of blue, red and black. Created using Gouache paint.
Too Much Noise
A circle in the centre of this colourful mixed media abstract represents the inner ear. A background of clashing paint layers and 3D visual representations of sound waves create a garish, overwhelming textural experience expressing the sensation of auditory sensory overload. Materials include netting, wooden sticks, cord string and paint.
My Anxiety Has Teeth
A set of disembodied teeth gnaw out of the frantic darkness of red, purple and dark blue Gouache paint
Broken Hearted
A sad person with short wavy green hair stares straight ahead hugging a cracked, patched and bleeding heart as big as their bare torso. An empty void has replaced their brain. Created with Ink and watercolour pencil.
Invisible
A group of vibrant people stand smiling in a semi circle, the person centre image can barely be seen. You’re not even sure if they are there. Ink and watercolour pencils.
Inner Sanctum
In this Acrylic and mixed media, a person created out of string sits hugging their knees. They protect their inner child from the tangled web and swirling darkness of the outside world. The colours are brighter in the centre around the foetal inner child.
Butterfly of Hope
Created from watercolour and watercolour pencils, a butterfly spreads itself diagonally across the page through streaking drips of coloured paint moving from dark and dull to light and bright.
Life Map
A purple grid plus symbols of nature, community, love and dance have been painted over a map and pink washed background. This collage highlights key elements in Fenbi’s life.
Seagull Dreams
A watercolour pencil drawing of a surrealist beach scene featuring a giant seagull wearing a red hat.
Green Creature
An ink and watercolour abstract. A green animal like creature sporting a blue Mohawk with orange stripes, a yellow snout and a stripy green and blue flat tail. There are squiggles and a triangle around it.