Signalling a return to painting following a 30-year absence, this series uses footage of the British Coronation, a subject John feels indifferent towards.

The Coronation served as the source material, a polarising event for the public, drawing devotion or derision. The ever-present availability of media coverage is exploited in the work, creating an inescapable Coronation loop, the King always being crowned somewhere, on a screen, never emerging to rule.

Photographs were taken from acute angles for example, with the camera lens in contact and looking down from the top of the television screen. The effect is a reverse perspective. The resulting images are meticulous recreations in oils, mirroring works in the Royal Collection.  

The television screen itself has a presence within the scenes, its shadowy edges creeping into the works. What emerges are images where perspectives are altered, hierarchies inverted, and margins amplified.