Inspired by his ADHD

An exhibition of Johnny Vegas’s sculptures is opening in Liverpool later this month.

Metamorphosis will feature work that has been inspired by the comedian’s ADHD, which he has described as an ‘accursed blessing’.

He has described his return to sculpture as, ‘an unfinished part of my story’. He originally trained in art and ceramics at the University of Middlesex and during he Covid pandemic, Johnny found solace in creativity.

Three decades after he graduated, he returned to the studio following a chance encounter with Wirral-based sculptor Emma Rodgers, who collaborated with him on the new exhibition.   

Vegas – whose piece above is entitled Jester and created in 2023 – said: ‘Currently, flight, faith, fear of failure and broken/tested faith, are the subjects most fluent in my work. Emotional evolution and how best I can express that in 2D or 3D forms. A thought process, be it linked to hope or fear, captured in time.  

‘I’ve a head full of butterflies and all of them designed with unique intentions of distraction from the task at hand. When I think to exhibit I’m compelled to try and recreate in clay or oil what I’ve caught in my net that day… before it is once more set free to distract me from the hurried and sometimes ill-constructed expectations of normality.'

Rodgers is known for her animal sculptures, including the world’s largest Liver Bird, a work comprised of giant, oversized Meccano pieces. In Metamorphosis, her works imagine demonic creatures which the gallery says ‘conveys the nightmare of broken sleep, and the escape made possible through flight.

The exhibition runs from April 30 to June 29.

Published: 3 Apr 2025