Tinsel and Twinkle prepare to 'kidnap' a banker ahead of their show's launch. Photo: Uslan Cevet.

Two dynamic Hackney artists plan to kidnap a banker and hold him to ransom for the centre-piece at the opening night of their exhibition on Thursday July 5.

Tinsel Edwards and Twinkle Troughton are the brains behind the unusual stunt which launches the showcase of their work so far at the Hackney Downs Studios.

Called Mini Retrospective, the show is a combination of the work of the two artists who met aged nine over pots of poster paint at primary school.

Tinsel’s art focuses on challenging social and political issues and often includes text, Twinkle’s work is often satirical as it tries to expose aspects of the human condition.

Tinsel said: “We are kidnapping a banker, not because we have a vendetta against bankers, but because we want to find out what people feel about the global economic crisis. This is an artistic response to the economic crisis.”

On the opening night, guests will be asked to write their solutions to the crisis on special bank notes for a thought-provoking display.

The exhibition is at A-side B-side Gallery, Hackney Downs Studios, 5-9 Amhurst Terrace, Hackney, E8 2BT, until July 19. The gallery is open Thursday-Sunday 12-6pm.