Lazy Oaf Profile - The Soup Gallery

As you can get your hands on Lazy Oaf goodies in boutiques, concept stores and galleries worldwide we have decided to start profiling some of our favourites. To get the ball rolling we are focusing in on the Cornwall based art gallery and shop The Soup Gallery on 106 Kenwyn Street in Truro. And this isn't your average shopping experience. Run single-handedly by Mark Polglase, The Soup Gallery are constantly hunting out the latest artistic talents, holding exhibitions and running live events with guest DJ's. We caught up with Mark to discuss tourist crap, Gok Wan and Granny P's soup.

Why did you open The Soup Gallery?

I opened The Soup Gallery to bring a melting pot of freshness to the people of the South West, so we all didn't have to travel to Bristol and beyond to see something rad. We aim to serve up the best illustration and graffiti art to the people of the South West, along with a selection of fly threads and other tasty treats to make you go mmmmmm.

Down in Cornwall we have a wealth of galleries and shops that cater to tourists with paintings of the sea, buckets, spades and bags of fudge-which is fine for tourists, but we thought it was about time to get something different crack a lackin!

Also- I used to be a chef for a long time and I got mad tired of split shifts! Who is the most exciting person who has come into your shop? Well we have a fair few cool peeps strolling through, (we did have Gok Wan walk past a while ago he never came in!-damn and blast!)

I get to meet a load of great artists, the most recent being Klingatron and Smug two street artists from Glasgow whose work I am a really big fan of- I feel really privileged to get to meet and hang out with people who I admire who without the gallery I probably wouldn't of hooked up with. And when I used to work at a well known health and beauty store many moons ago, I served Floella Benjamin of Playschool fame, she bought some mascara, it was rad.

What do you sell?

In the downstairs shop we sell crazy nice stuff from the creative powerhouse that is Lazy Oaf! We have art/design books and Magazines, Lomography cameras, belton spraypaint and prints and original work from our featured artists. In our upstairs gallery we dish up monthly changing exhibitions, showcasing contemporary illustration and graffiti art from established and up and coming artists.

How did you discover Lazy Oaf?

Ahhh....I remember it well, It was a summers afternoon...... I spied a girl sporting a ridiculously ace T-shirt, it was near my girlfriends Birthday and I needed a mega present, so I asked her who was responsible for producing such hotness, she replied Lazy Oaf. I didn't have a fizzin idea who she was talking bout-so I checked you guys out and the rest as they say is history!

What has been you favourite Lazy Oaf product to date?

Ohhhh toughie! You guys produce so many bangers- I would have to say the fox stole scarf is one of my faves, but more recently its all about the Word T-shirt fo sho!

The Soup Gallery is more than just a shop - you hold exhibitions and events too. Got anything good coming up?

Yep, always!!!

Our Current exhibition,  'The Face Off' is from Klingatron and Smug two graffiti artists based in Glasgow-one a stencil artist, the other a photo-realistic artist. They are both top drawer and have produced all new work for their exhibition-its a great show and we are amped to have them here.

We normally have a few outside projects on the bubble too-we are doing something at the Relentless Boardmasters surf contest this summer with Vans and our neighbours Attla among other bits and bobs.

And we are crazy excited about our next exhibition with illustrator Gemma Correll (who did some stuff with you guys at the Lazy Oaf drawing club event) which starts Friday 3rd July.

I think for Gemma's we are getting the bunting out and having a tea party with doilies, french fancies, ice cream and large jugs of pimms to wash it all down.

What is your preferred soup?

Ah well it probably sounds rank, but my old Granny P (god bless her soul!) used to knock up the best chicken bone soup ever-it was super tasty and really good if you were poorly! Aside from that, a good tomato soup takes some beating!!!

You can find out more about The Soup Gallery on their site at www.thesoupgallery.co.uk

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