Portsmouth artist My Dog Sighs announces new exhibition in 'derelict' city building

My Dog Sighs, who has also created murals at Hilsea Lido and across Southsea, is opening an exhibition at an undisclosed location in the city.

Opening this summer, the installation – called Inside – will turn a derelict building into an immersive world inhabited by the artist’s own creatures, dubbed his ‘Quiet Little Voices’.

My Dog Sighs takes these creatures, that started life as scribbled doodles in the margins of his sketchbooks and uses them to represent different facets of his life. Replacing himself with these beings as a representation of his inner ‘Quiet Little Voices’, they embody a range of emotions from playful to melancholic.

Posting about the art installation on Facebook, the artist said: ‘It’s been a while coming but I’m excited to reveal a little more about what I’ve been up to with my “secret project”.

‘I've been leaving clues online and in the physical world for you and I know some of you have worked them out, but is there more to come.

‘For the first time I’m moving into sculpture, fusing my visual language with space, form, light and sound, alongside the more recognisable facets that define my practice.’

All that is known about the venue My Dog Sighs has chosen is that it’s a multi-storey space, with plenty of shelter and dimly-lit corners.

The artist has worked with sound experts from Portsmouth University and a creative lighting company to create what he describes as a ‘unique and immersive’ street art experience.

Visitors will be welcomed into the space by trained stewards, and My Dog Sighs himself will also be leading specialist tours for artists during the exhibition, to talk more about his life as a street artist working on both sanctioned and unsanctioned projects.

Alongside the new exhibition, the artist also has a feature-length documentary and book about the project on the way, as well as an educational pack designed to be used by teachers and students in Portsmouth and beyond.

For more information, people can go to mydogsighs.co.uk.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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