"Woman" by #CODEFC#codefc has recently been to Sri Lanka and witnessed the atrocity of the civil war that hit the country. Below are his words, no edit whatsoever, raw like the atrocities that Sri Lanka suffered and is still subject to. Thank you Fab to try to raise awareness.
“it s related to a sensitive subject happened a while ago but still very fresh over there..as u probably know the gosl( gov of sri lanka) has been at war with the LTTE for the past 25 yrs and the struggle culminated in 2009 with the defeat of the tigers and the killing of 40000 innocent tamils.
In my recent visit I had the chance to go ( briefly..for safety reasons) to eelam( the north east part of lanka) and speak to a few people. the situation there is still really bad and people are being abused on a daily basis.Even for tourist like me the situation has changed lately since the gosl has kicked out All NGOs and any white ( westerner) is seen as a pro tamil therefore pro tigers . roadblock are every few hundreds meters , passport controls and questions…the project is based on the sorrow of the genocide that the government inflicted on the tamil minority and I tried to keep it impartial ( not supporting the tigers) during the war the un was told safety for their troops was not guaranteed (???) and therefore they left leaving no one to monitor the cruelties that happened there in the last months of the war .
I m not the best person to explain the whys and hows of the situation but a quick history search will show that the tigers were not the real problem of lanka but the diversity os the tamil ( favoured by the british during colonization for speaking better english and being better at their duties and the sinhalese community , and their non capability of living together .From what I ve seen the problem is still there , the north- east areas are a huge military base ( I myself started getting really uncomfortable about the situation and that lead me to do less painting that what I intentionally wanted to )
I hope my paintings raise some issues about the validity of the UN and the indifference of the nations that are part of it. If u have not had the chance of watching it please spare 45 mins srilanka s killing fields broadcasted on channel 4 ( u ll find it if u goole it .. full version ) also worth checking is www.tamilnet.com with a rather complete report on the situation there .
some of the designs were actually taken from that site..so they relate to real people of that area ( some are on houses destroyed by the fighting ..with real bullet holes”
Street art has come a long way since it broke onto the scene in the 80s, gradually evolving from being an art form that spread socially provocative messages into a more accessible, mainstream medium that has been widely accepted all around the world. Urban art graces the streets of cities big and small, and occasionally there comes along a piece that you just have to stop and admire.
Here are some of the top 10 urban artists of 2015:
1. Icy and Sot
Icy and Sot, a duo of 2 brothers from Iran who moved to Brooklyn in just 2012, have gone on to produce murals that showcase their beliefs perfectly. This mural at Welling Court made in 2015 is no exception, providing a strong critique of American capitalism.
2. Replete
What is the secret of this eye-popping illusion? Replete, a Leeds-based street artist will tell you. He is pioneering an innovative street art technique of painting his images on multiple layers of cling film, making for a 3D illusion and a fantastic work of street art.
3. Tristan Eaton
Born in Los Angeles in 1978, Tristan began pursuing street art as a teenager, painting everything from walls to billboards in the urban landscape wherever he lived, including London, Detroit and Brooklyn. In 2012, Tristan moved back to his childhood home of Los Angeles to pursue his paintings and large scale mural projects full-time.
Tristan’s work can be seen in galleries around the world and in the permanent collection of the New York Museum of Modern Art (MOMA).
This mural in Kaka’Ako, Hawaii is a great example of how a wall can be an amazing canvas for someone of the talents of Triston.
4. Nychos
Nychos is an urban art and graffiti illustrator from Austria, and this massive work of art is one of his biggest and best yet.
He was born into an Austrian hunting family in South Africa and spent much of his childhood seeing things which many ‘normal’ people would consider cruel or even brutal. For Nychos though, it was a fascinating world. He recounts how he saw a dead baby lamb being consumed by maggots the same colour as its fur, Instead of being horrified, he was fascinated by it.
He studied the hidden insides of animals and noticed the way life often grows from other life. At the same time, he was also a child of the 80s, growing up watching cartoons and being influenced by their flashy bright colors.
This was painted in his hometown of Vienna, Austria, and is called Dissection of a Polar Bear.
Credits: Dan Armand
5. Markus Pilgrim
Born in Berlin in 1980 Pilgrim bases himself in this vibrant city, however Pilgrim hasn’t forgotten how different an identity this controversial city had before the Berlin Wall was taken down in 1989. Growing up in the eastern part of Berlin the secretive political unrest of this time inhibited his freedom of speech and opinions, resulting in this anonymous method of artistic expression combined with political satire. He often sneaked out late at night to create provocative political statements about the injustices of that era and his artistic graffiti career has continued to progress since his early teenage years, now creating his vibrant artworks on canvas for all to enjoy freely.
Pilgrim is a pioneer in the emerging sub movement called ‘Pop Fusion’ now using a variety of methods such as graffiti , digital art and painting to create art such as his recent collection called ‘Animalistic Aristocracy’.
6. Ben Angotti
Brooklyn resident Ben Angotti works in many different mediums to display images of violence and beauty. He is highly influenced by many different art forms; from classical Renaissance and Baroque art, Asian art and Symbolism to modern Graffiti art and Erotica. Often, he weaves these themes together to create pulpy paintings, often with allusions to modern culture and carnal delights.
This mural is called Interstellar Geisha, it’s a classic example of Angotti stretching his talents over a variety of art styles, including sculptures and traditional paintings. He can depict the human form like no other, using vivid color schemes to bring his murals and paintings to life.
7. Lake
Lake is the second Street Artist from Berlin, Germany to make this list, the street artist is known for creating unique and exceptional artwork across the world. His creativity and genius is evident through this piece of art created on a Guadalajara rooftop. He’s certainly a street artist for the ages!
8. Dasic
Dasic (full name Dasic Fernandez) was fascinated at a young age by Chile’s burgeoning hip-hop culture of the 1990s, he searched for a way to engage with it in public spaces. By the age of 14, he had found his answer in graffiti art. Today, at 24, the Santiago-born artist is a muralist of rising fame whose works that dot the urban landscapes across the Americas.
He has been a part of the NYC street art scene for years, and this painting sums up exactly what he has been providing the city of New York all these years – bright, colourful, vibrant and thought-provoking works of street art that just reach out to your soul
9. Art is Trash
Currently on tour in the United States, Francisco De Pajaro, who also goes by the name of Art is Trash, is originally from Barcelona, Spain and is known for literally making the best out of waste. He uses rubbish bags, abandoned furniture and debris to create art that works as a mirror for those who see it, reflecting our boundless, desperate consumerism and our obsession with power. It disappears fast—sometimes as soon as it is finished.
He makes even the most undesirable and discarded things in the city into amazing pieces of art through his simplistic characters and illustrations.
10. Mender
Mender has been one of the artists to look out for this year, creating works that comment on the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and Trayvon Martin. The artist works with sculpture, collage, and other print techniques to get his messages out to the world. Bringing awareness and spreading messages through the mediums of graffiti and printmaking are slowly bringing his work into the eyes of people in NYC.
This article was written by Sally Kirchell, owner of Beyond a Word, specialists in Personalised Art Gifts
Some people like art for its meaning or the messages that it conveys but others will appreciate the art for its beauty, its aesthetic. I will not dive into what is beauty or aesthetic in art but I would rather illustrate one form of beauty – tattoos, the art of tattoos. And what about tattoos on girls wearing glasses? I know.
Hoping these trigger emotions in relation to the sense of beauty you have got in mind.
I may have never heard about this exhibition if Twitter did not exist so let me thank you Twitter first, some do not get you little Twitter tool, ART-PIE heart you little Twitter tool.
A swift click on that link from that tweet I got and am now onto the Picture On Walls website or POW. ‘I Like the left menu navigation items’ I instantly thought. ‘I like the sketchy look of them’ my second thought was. A quick scroll down to the bottom of the website and I got it right away: loads and loads of creativity, imagination, art wonders on here and ART-PIE was right, The Fiesta resistance exhibition did not disappoint.
Unique, fresh, rich, interesting, exciting, different, colorful, busy … the list could go on and on and be made of thousands of words here as what I was seeing was actually made of thousands of things on top of each other but all smiling at me as I was stepping into POW. As always, ART-PIE did not know where to start and unless more ‘classic’ galleries (like the Whitechapel Gallery which ART-PIE had just been to earlier that day) that room I had just stepped into did not help to lead you that way or the other so I went straight ahead, I went for what looked like a shed with tall stools in front. Yes, that place looks like a theater or a movie set! Continue reading The Fiesta Resistance: mixed medias at its best→
Funding cuts aplenty and rent price hikes it’s no wonder galleries are tiptoeing around trying to make the best decisions when it comes to their businesses. So there was surprise when art collector Jay Joplin announced the opening of his third London space – White Cube Bermondsey.
Already coveting two sort-after addresses in Mayfair and Hoxton this new venture seems to be taking on not only a larger space – in fact 58,000 sq ft of interior space- but a different vibe too. Set in 1970s warehouse it is the largest of the gallery’s three London sites and has been re designed by Casper Mueller Kneer Architects. The result is what on the opening last night looked like a cross between a spaceship and a multi-storey car park entrance.
There is a particular timing about this new space as it debuts at a perfect few weeks in the art calendar. For the next 2 weeks hundreds of collectors and buyers descend on London for the Frieze Art Fair and the whole host of exhibitions and pop up spaces that come along with it.
After queuing and being penned in for around 30 minutes we finally got inside. With it being dark outside already the bright lights and white walls were overwhelming, I felt like I needed blinkers to stop squinting. Once inside you are greeted with a long corridor off of it are the three principal exhibition spaces, private viewing rooms, an auditorium and a bookshop – which I have to say was my favourite space I could have spent a lot of money.
After trying to match the exhibition descriptions on the guide to the artworks (no labels featured) we explored the first space at the centre of the building, a gallery entitled ‘9 x 9 x 9’. Presenting here is Cerith Wyn Evans with a clinical neon light installation that wraps around this literally cubed room. It felt as if the words had come out of the walls due to the white neon and smooth quality.
Structure & Absence in the South Galleries include Gary Hume’s works which looked like they were dripping off the canvas in Room I with their metallic surfaces popping out from the white smooth walls. Room II features some bits and bobs from Damien Hirst. His Chinese scholars’ rocks and more familiar things like his ‘Neverland’ in room II – a mirrored shelved board filled with pills –think Smarties and disco.
Three smaller galleries, collectively known as the ‘North Galleries’ is where Kitty Kraus’ pieces can be found which are highlight for me. Her light box installations are tranquil and the prisms of light reflect on the blank canvas walls creating cityscape structures that reminded me of Tron.
Dinos and Jake Chapman have their two cents worth in the screening room. Can’t say too much about it as, well, you just have to see for yourself. If features Rhys Evans as an angst ridden artist and left us with puzzled faces afterwards.
It’s worth a look to see some of the lesser known contemporary artists on show and for the space itself, no doubt there will be some bigger things to come from this space in future.
“Structure and absence” runs until the 26/11/11
White Cube | Bermondsey Street | 144 —152 Bermondsey Street | London SE1 3TQ http://www.whitecube.com
LUDO is a French Street Artist who is enjoying enjoyed a very successful first solo show in Zurich at the Starkat Gallery.
LUDO’s style is very particular and his pieces always depict ominous and imaginary plants which always seem to want to grab you as you walk past them. His street art series is actually called Nature’s Revenge which he has been focusing on for the past two years or so. A way perhaps to warn you all about the irreversible force of Dame Nature.
When asking Leo Rocha about making striking images to publicise Ecuador and its tourism, I wonder whether the tourism board of this country knew that they were in for a treat! I do not know for you but we think here at Art-Pie that these are pretty awesome and we definitely want to go and check out Ecuador now!.
Made by Koenig & Partners ad agency. CGI by Luiz Alves and Javier Porcel. Retouch by Leo Rocha, Ramon Saroldi and Marceu Lobo.
Andipa Contemporary is delighted to announce a new solo exhibition: Concrete Ocean, by renowned urban artist Slinkachu. Left floating in flimsy boats on puddles the size of lakes, or clinging onto seemingly giant paving stones, in danger of being trodden underfoot by the casual passer-by, the figures in Concrete Ocean address the artist’s trademark theme of loneliness and disillusionment engendered by the city environment. The dry wit of his observation and the deceptive sweetness of his scaled down figures make Slinkachu’s works absorbing, strong and engaging.
Named as one of the “100 Leading Figures in Urban Art” by Patrick Ngyuyen and Stuart Mackenzie in Beyond the Street (2010) Slinkachu creates (and then abandons) tiny installations around the city using reworked railway model figures that he then records photographically. The artist will, for the first time, bring seemingly uprooted street installations into the gallery where they will form islands in the concrete ocean.
Concrete Ocean follows the artist’s internationally acclaimed Little People Project started in 2006, and the publication of Little People in the City: The street art of Slinkachu, published by Boxtree (Pan MacMillan), with a foreword by author Will Self (2008), The Old Vic and Punchdrunk’s collaboration, Tunnel 228 in 2009 and in 2010 the highly successful exhibition Extraordinary Measures at Belsay Hall, Northumberland, alongside Ron Mueck, Matt Collishaw and Mariele Neudecker, in which the artist took a humorous look “at the obsession we have with the day trip, that English hobby which often provokes the full range of emotions” and saw 55,000 visitors, along with the Amsterdam launch of BIG BAD CITY by Lebowski Publishers.
Words from Andipa gallery
Where – Andipa gallery
When – 3rd March till 2nd April 2011 (preview on the 2/3)
When I first heard about ‘fractal’ art, I did not have a clue what it could be so I thought I’ll investigate this further and was quickly to find out that Mr mathematics has its role to play here.
Before carrying on, it might be best to get out of the way a few terms definitions which shall shed some light on this form of art
I m not the best person to explain the whys and hows of the situation but a quick history search will show that the tigers were not the real problem of lanka but the diversity os the tamil ( favoured by the british during colonization for speaking better english and being better at their duties and the sinhalese community , and their non capability of living together .From what I ve seen the problem is still there , the north- east areas are a huge military base ( I myself started getting really uncomfortable about the situation and that lead me to do less painting that what I intentionally wanted to )
