Paparazzi Dogs: Pack of papping pups pimp up Royal Exchange
Published Jan 2021
Visitors to the Royal Exchange may be hounded by some unusual guests following the installation of a pack of popular pooches.
To kick off a year of celebrations marking the Royal Exchange’s 450th anniversary, the iconic City landmark will play host to the Paparazzi Dogs, a series of sculptures by contemporary artists Gillie and Marc.
The display, which features statues of four dog-headed men dressed in suits and armed with cameras, has been set up in the front portico of the former Lloyd’s insurance market.
Since launching in 2013, the Paparazzi Dogs have become a global phenomenon, attracting attention from a host of celebrities, including Snoop Dogg.
It marks the first time the canine cameramen have been shown in the UK.
Originally inspired by Andy Warhol’s claim that “everyone will be famous for 15 minutes”, husband and wife team Gillie and Marc created the pap pups as a way of giving everyone a taste of celebrity.
“We know that it is a very difficult time for a lot of people at the moment and we believe the only way we can get through this is by adding a little slice of joy into people’s lives. Public art is the perfect way to create as many smiles as possible and we are sure the Paparazzi Dogs are more than up for the task,” said Gillie.
Marc added: “The pap dogs are a lot of fun and we love seeing pictures of people having their ‘photo’ taken by them. As photographers themselves, the pap dogs have now had millions of photos taken of them, which we think is a wonderful juxtaposition.”
The diligent dogs have been on a walkabout around the globe, visiting more than 100 different countries.
They started in Melbourne’s Federation Square, before taking a walk around Jing’an Sculpture Park in Shanghai and packing their bags for New York.
The Paparazzi Dogs will be on display at the Royal Exchange until the end of summer.
