VIEW THE FULL SHAG COLLECTION ONLINE HERE
Shag
Outré Gallery Fitzroy
20 June - 13 July 2025
Opening Night
5–8pm on Friday, 20 June 2025
319 Smith Street, Fitzroy
Drinks provided by Range Life Wine & Bodriggy Brewing Co.
Book Signing
12-2pm on Saturday, 21 June 2025
VIEW THE FULL SHAG COLLECTION ONLINE HERE
The words “Lush Life” could sum up my life and career as an artist. The lavish parties, stunning architecture and tropical settings in the prints and paintings form a lush backdrop to the stories the art tells, and the centerpiece of the show, “The Lyre Bird,” is lush with the flora and fauna of Australia. Although I’ve given up my life as a lush (I quit drinking over ten years ago), the art is still infused with the cocktail culture that I love, a culture that has been central to my work for decades.
— Shag
Josh Agle, also known as Shag (a contraction of the last two letters of his first name and the first two letters of his last) is a painter, designer and illustrator working in Southern California.
Shag’s works are visually influenced by avant-garde animation from the mid-20th century as well as generic advertising art of the same era, imbued with a contemporary attitude and sly sense of humour. The artworks celebrate consumerism and consumption on vividly coloured and sharply rendered panels, with characters socialising in stylish surroundings; however, Shag sees the visuals of his work as window-dressing or stage scenery. He's more concerned with the themes and narratives in the artworks, and the meanings a viewer might find when they look at a piece of Shag art.
Outré Gallery has been proudly representing Shag almost thirty years, and he has visited Australia numerous times exhibiting with us. We have published a number of Shag book titles and print editions over the years, including his first book Supersonic Swingers (2000).