"Music is much more complicated": Pete Doherty shows his art in Berlin

Pete Doherty used to be known as a musician with drug problems. He also made headlines as an affair with Kate Moss. Today the 43-year-old has caught himself, although he still plays music, but he also devotes himself to art. He will soon be showing the results of his efforts in Berlin.

Peter Doherty presents himself with a first retrospective as a visual artist in Berlin. The exhibition “Contain yourself (seriously)” shows around 50 works by the British musician, who became world famous with the bands Babyshambles and The Libertines, among others.

From September 10th to December 22nd, works from mixed media, collages, original texts and typewriter art can be seen in the gallery of Janine Bean and Matthias Bergemann. In addition, objects were installed from the everyday life of Doherty, who is also known for his former drug addiction, the one-time liaison with model Kate Moss and a secret affair with the late singer Amy Winehouse.

“Music is much more complicated,” says Doherty of his work. Many of the works are influenced by music. One work is based on the lyrics of the Libertines song “Belly of the Beast”, directly opposite is the answer to the advertisement for a concert in Hong Kong in 2015. “The poster for the festival was awful,” said Doherty. “So I did this in my hotel room.” An old Chinese advertisement for cigarettes served as the basis, which Doherty repurposed with letters sprayed in multiple colors using stencils.

Many of the works date from the times of Doherty’s drug addiction, the consequences of handling the needle are visible. He painted a “Union Jack” – the English flag – in 2013 with his blood. “It had a huge impact on my state of mind at the time,” says Doherty. “I think without this chaos in my life and without the drugs, art would be completely different.”

After many scandals in the past, Pete Doherty has now caught himself. He now lives in Normandy with his wife Katia de Vidas, the keyboardist for his band The Puta Madres. “It’s a quiet, simple life,” said the 43-year-old in an interview with the British “Mirror” in March.