Ever wondered where that coat ended up you thought you lost down the local? Well it seems we have had a serial clothes smuggler in our midst for over 10 years! Mike Ballard moved to London in 1998, the same year his favourite 55DSL jacket was stolen from a crowded pub. Ballard never got over this crime and seeked revenge on every pub in London stealing nearly 200 coats, all of which resembled his prized possession.
Now it seems he has seen the errors of his ways and he is trying to rehabilitate himself as part of a self-imposed therapeutic process. Ballard is offering owners the right to claim back their stolen coats. Just head along to the address below, tell him what was in your pockets or the time and location of the crime and he will happily hand it over.
Speaking about his work, Ballard admits, “I’m not proud about what I’ve done, and I realise that I need to make amends and return the coats to their rightful owners.” Appropriation has long been present in the art world, but never before has a show been constructed entirely out of stolen items. “I recognise the risk that comes with doing this show, but as Picasso once said, ‘Good artists copy, great artists steal’.”
So what are you waiting for? Go get your coat back!
8 October – 23 October 2010
Wednesday- Saturday (12pm-7pm)
Walker’s Tailor, 157 Robert Street, London, NW1 3QR
www.whostolemycoat.com/Cloak_Room.html
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