The Connor Brothers popularity is reflected in sell-out shows at galleries in LA, New York, Sydney, Dubai, London, Hong Kong and Berlin. Moreover, their work is included in prestigious collections including The Victoria and Albert Museum, The Penguin Collection and both the Omar Koch and Niarchos Collections.

After coping with some challenging personal issues f

for many years Mike and James started experimenting with art as a way of looking at the world through a more positive lens.

Their intelligence, humour and creativity gave their work enormous appeal, but when it was suggested to them that they might choose to exhibit it one day, both resisted the idea, unwilling to expose their artworks and themselves to the public gaze.

In a moment of inspiration they decided to show the work under a pseudonym. Mike set about sketching out a fictitious background for the Connor Brothers which deliberately mirrored some of his and James’s own experiences.

The Connor Brothers were presented as innocent twins who had emerged traumatised from a Californian cult and were struggling to make sense of the world through their art, an interesting background no doubt, but the truth is more interesting still.

The work took the country by storm and success came quickly. They perpetuated the myth for 18 months, until they were able to overcome their inhibitions about exhibiting under their own names and at this point they decided to break cover. The reaction, first from the galleries, then from the public, was one of understanding and even amusement, and their success continued unabated.

Today Mike and James align their work with social causes. After working for several years in the notorious French refugee camp known as The Jungle, they launched the Refuchic billboard campaign, which forced us to examine our attitude to poverty and displacement. They have created a refugee-themed show at Banksy’s Dismaland, and they continue to work closely with mental health charity, CALM.

The brothers create retro style figurative images which encourage us to challenge our assumptions and preconceptions, and as a result to perhaps see the world a little differently. Their interest in undermining our assumptions and casual acceptance of cultural norms is reflected in their extraordinary background.