DAYM represents the greatest seismic shift in Pete's long and distinguished career. The show consists of paintings, sculptures, photographs and prints that predominantly explore modern British life and how we communicate today. The exhibition was held back to back in London and then in Sheffield in 2022, and it was Pete’s reaction to everything he saw online during the Covid pandemic.
“During the pandemic everyone’s life was completely turned upside-down with most of us increasing the time they spent online, especially on social media. I turned to my phone for companionship and used it as a window to the outside world. When scrolling its screen over the following months, I saw a mixture of anger, injustice, LOLs, contrary opinions, misinformation and a plethora of community-spirited endeavours to lift the mood of the nation. It was like someone had found society’s volume button and turned it up to 11."
"I decided to start organising and making sense of what I saw by creating art which examined the world that surrounds us, much of which we view through a device.” - Pete McKee
Digital dependence, climate change, internet fame and police brutality are just some of the themes that reflect the information he was bombarded with when scrolling through social media.
