“The Ugly America” show opening today at The Outsiders is the work of legendary graffiti artist Saber’. The artist spent 8 weeks immersed in the Outsiders Newcastle branch last autumn and created all the works on display in the gallery this time in London.
We stepped in and were hardly wowed by what we were seeing: a series of pale wooden pallets works. We quickly realised that they were all depicting “The Star-Spangled Banner”, understand the American flag.
But then we remembered that “The Ugly American” refers to a multi-million-copy best selling book and 1963 movie, in which Marlon Brando starred, and is all about telling about the dark side of the American foreign policy. I looked again at the pale stuff and could relate now. Off downstairs…
The mood was slightly happier down here and colours from Saber’s pieces smiling at me. The artist’s technique that consists of mixing aerosol art with oil and even charcoal pleased my little eyes.
What – “The Ugly American” by Saber
Where – The Outsiders London | 8 Greek Street, Soho, London W1D 4DG | Monday – Saturday, 11:00AM – 7:00PM
When – Friday 10th of January 2014 to Saturday 15th of February 2014
Want to see art outside of the commercial galleries? Or maybe like me you have lofty dreams of starting your own art collection. This weekend take a trip to South West London from 25 November to the Wimbledon Art Studios, Winter Open Studios Art Show. The open show sees artists opening up their studio spaces this weekend, giving the public the chance to explore a treasure trove of new works. There’s an eclectic mix by up and coming, as well as established artists, photographers, ceramicists and textile designers.
Community and the artist
By Darryn Eggleton
The Wimbledon Studios aim to provide a spring board for working artists, which couldn’t be apt in today’s dire financial climate. The studios are the largest, single site art studio complex in London and Britain. This fantastic project is not merely about the singular artist and the creative community within, Wimbledon Art Studios aim to give local people the opportunity to view and appreciate contemporary art, whilst building links with the resident artists.
The opening night was bustling with proud parents, artist’s friends and locals. The last open show attracted over 5,000 visitors and I suspect they shall hit they figure or more this year.
On the preview night studio workers were happy to talk about the spaces and I was impressed by the colour map brochure produced for the show. Plenty of friendly guides and artists were on hand when I lost my bearings in the rabbit warren of corridors and stairways, so be warned you may loose yourself but find an interesting artwork in the process!
The entrance, which bridged the two buildings in a temporary structure, displayed some key pieces including Kate Kelleher’s eye catching painting, and a sculpture by Kevin Herlihy who uses found and recycled mediums. There were also some small board works for sale to raise money for the studios upkeep. At £55 a go, I decided to snap up a board byJayson Lilley. Other artists you should stop by at – Darryn Eggleton‘s amazing animal paintings and Alison Pearl‘s delicate and seemingly impossible objects made from paper.
Inside the spaces
As I tottered around with my new art work I explored the studios which are spread over 2 areas. The main Red Studio building, originally a paper warehouse, opened with just 6 artists renting spaces in 1993. Now, the original warehouse consists of over 100 studio spaces and in addition there are now 60 studio spaces in a newly, purpose built ‘Blue Studios’ building, on the same site. On 1st November 2011 an additional 55 brand new studios were opened in a reclaimed section of the warehouse. Now the site has over 200 artist tenants. The close proximity of the studios make it feel homely, it felt like I was stepping into a person’s private space, almost like their bedroom, a definite plus side away from the clinical commercial gallery spaces.
The artist and the studio
Is a studio site like the one in Wimbledon an ideal place for an artist to gain recognition though? And do the resident artists actually like the makeshift space in the built up industrial estate in Wandsworth? I asked Idun Eustace, an resident artist at the Wimbledon site who is displaying her pieces for the show.
Idun has been at the studios since 2007 and first exhibited during the autumn show. Idun lectures in life drawing and oil painting for EAL, Ealing, West London. Her works of semi-abstract still life evoke many influences from the Norwegian landscape where she was born and brought up.
By Alison Pearl
What do you think of the new studio space that opened in November 2011? So how does it compare to other, more formal, settings you’ve shown at? Such as gallery spaces/fairs?
The new space (as a whole) has got a nice feel to it & is much more spacious than the studios in the old Red Studio building – Although my new space has no natural light ,I feel this doesn’t matter so much, as I look upon it as a challenge to see how it changes my work. There are studios with natural light but I chose this one for the space as I want to run life drawing classes from there as well as paint.
Do you feel the studios are successful in terms of building a creative hub for emerging artists and also for artists to sell their work too? Or do the more traditional roots of art fairs and private galleries, like the Affordable Art Fair, work better?
I think it’s a little hit and miss sales wise – sometimes you sell and others not. The good thing about the studios is that they don’t take a commission on sales whereas fairs, such as AAF and other London Galleries take 50 %. It does give merging artists as well as more established artists a great platform to sell their work.
Where do get your ideas for pieces? Whilst travelling around London, or more abstractly?
I draw a lot and source ideas almost everywhere – e.g. If I go in to London on the train (with my sketchbook) I will look out of the window and take a mental picture and draw it immediately, or when I’m on holiday (usually to Norway), I always have my sketchbook (and camera) handy. I also sometimes draw and paint from memory so these may be more abstract – I look on the drawing process this way; if you’re an artist you ought to draw as its part of the process of painting. Painting is really drawing with your brush.
By Idun Eustace
You are trained in many different disciplines, painting, printmaking, life drawing, photography, graphics, illustration & textiles. Do you or would you ever incorporate these into you pieces?
I do use photography as reference only, whether it be a design ref or a colour reference – I have used printmaking in my art but not currently – I do however like the way Munch used print making as reference/addition in his art and have recently been looking into this. I’m quite interested in African tribal art textiles. I have also been toying with the idea of introducing burlap/hessian in my work but at present this is embryonic only. I am looking at the work of artists like Tapies and Sandra Blow for inspiration.
You are quite active on Twitter, do you feel artists have to embrace this more so now? Have you felt the need to use it more?
I feel the use of twitter is essential to reach out to a wider audience and think that one’s got to advertise oneself, no-one else will do it for you and hopefully one’s twitter followers will RT and thus reach more people – so it can only be a good thing. You have to grab opportunities as life is too short.
Idun’s works feature at the open show till 27 November and she is also planning to run classes that will be available to artists at the Studios as well as outsiders, contact her here for more information idun@blueyonder.co.uk. Follow her on Twitter @idunart
The Open Studios Art Show at the Wimbledon Art Studios is open to the public till 27 November Friday 2pm – 10pm
Saturday & Sunday 11am – 6pm. For more information about the show and the artists see click here.
for a show that features several artists, the layout of the works in the space felt as though it was seven minds working as one, with each artist using different tools and techniques, we found that all the themes were interlinked.
However, there were definitely pieces that stood out from the rest, this included artists such as Kaffe-eine and Precious little. The space was welcoming and well curated and we will definitely be keeping an eye out for future shows.
Enjoy the pics below and make sure to check out the full photoset here:
Probably one of the most popular sport events in the UK, The Championships, Wimbledon 0f 2016 are happening right now and have been since 1877! It is the oldest tennis tournament in the world, and is widely considered the most prestigious.
It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments, the others being the Australian Open, the French Open and the US Open. Since the Australian Open shifted to hardcourt in 1988, Wimbledon is the only major still played on grass.
We included artists and pieces below which all have a ‘tennis’ element in it.
NB: the top image is a piece from the Pothole Gardener
Pavement art
We’ll kick off with “pavement art” and this extraordinary piece below showing, using 3D effect, a court of tennis where The Championships are normally play on.
The artists are Joe Hill and Max Lowry and you will have noticed that the chair one of the artists is sat on is an actual chair and belnds into the 3D piece.
Joshua Callaghan
By Joshua Callaghan. Click to enlarge
Joshua Callaghan, an artist who lives and works in Los Angeles has recently been using the urban furniture around him and expecially tennis one.
The artist disguises utility boxes by pasting pictures onto them of the scenery behind, thereby creating the illusion of an uninterrupted view.
We have included an example on the left (Click to enlarge).
Slinkachu
By Slinkachu. Click to enlarge
Here’s an amazing new artwork by Slinkachu. These are the first images from his forthcoming exhibition entitled “Concrete Ocean”.
This piece called “Last Resort” was created in Wandsworth, South London, by the British artist who has become famous for his installations all over the city using minature trainset figures and graffiti on snails.
We included below a detail and a zoomed out photo of the artwork. Click to enlarge.
Danielle Clough
The artist, Cape Town-based uses thick and often bright thread in her creations. Finished pieces include images of flowers or portraits of people.
We particularly wanted to draw your attention to the pieces depicitng flowers hung on the strings of vintage tennis rackets. We included more of it below. (click to enlarge)
Otto Schade
Click to enlarge
Otto Schade also produced a “Street Art Olympics” themed series of work a couple of years ago which was on display at Frameless gallery and which includes a piece depicting a player tennis.
We went to the show and even wrote a review about it so we hope that you will have the time to read it.
Some of the works in the show were first visible around the streets of London (see left – click to enlarge)
When we got the email about this show –The Golden Age of Grotesque by SEPE (aka Michał Sepe Wręga), we immediately got very excited as we knew for sure that it would be a good one.
We have been following SEPE at Art-Pie for a while now and know he’s destined to great things and achievement in the art world.
> More pics at the bottom of this article
What is the show about?
“Lawrence Alkin Gallery are thrilled to present ‘The Golden Age of Grotesque’, the provocative and alluring UK debut solo show from Polish street artist Sepe. The brand new body of work explores current socio-political issues, demonstrating Sepe’s unique ability to cross the boundary between subjective and abstract depiction. ” Sam Rhodes, Director at Lawrence Alkin Gallery.
This is the artist’s first solo show in the UK presenting 19 brand new works prepared especially for the exhibition, most of them done in 2015.
There you have it. We unfortunately missed the opening night but to be honest, it is sometimes difficult to fully enjoy the art on display when galleries are overcrowded with people. Instead we visited the next day, only encountering one or two souls wandering the premises. This actually worked out very well as we could thoroughly enjoyed Sepe’s artworks.
As soon as you enter the Lawrence Alkin gallery, you cannot miss a rather imposing piece – “Follow the leader”
Follow the leader by SEPE | Art-Pie
Details below of the “Follow the leader” piece
You can’t help but notice the illustrative feel that Sepe’s art transpires.
The artists himself agrees on it “My paintings are strongly rooted in illustration. This way of perception works the best when supported by some kind of story behind it.”
He adds “We managed to gather all humans’ knowledge into one place. Made it available to everyone, everywhere by creating a worldwide network and we use it mainly to share sweet photos of puppies. What is it then if not The Golden Age Of Grotesque…?”
What is the underlying story behind “The Age of grotesque”?
Like many artists featured on this site, Sepe’s background lies in graffiti. He has been an active member of the Warsaw (Poland) graffiti scene where he currently lives.
This exposure to the energy of the city and its streets has definitely opened the artist’s sensitivity and increased his social awareness. Indeed with this show, Sepe wanted to emphasise how the “world gets totally dominated by the vain celebrity culture, focused on creating fake images of itself just for the show and turning everything into pop mush for sale.”
“Hunters” by SEPE | Art-Pie
SEPE’s work is centralised around you and me, around humans and perhaps it is about where we are heading to – Modern societies tend to alienate individuals;our only refuge is seemingly joining the crowd where acknowledgment matters most. We then share moments via social media, often with souls unknown to us, and yet somehow that makes us feel good, as though we somehow now belong.
Rhythm and energy
Another remarkable aspect of SEPE’s work is how well he captures life moments on the canvas: bold, energetic and rhytmic. Indeed, his way of applying fat brush strokes gives the viewer a sense of movement and that takes away the static notion of a still scene.
As we were wandering around the gallery, this in particular became more and more obvious as well as remarkable.
“Far from ok” by SEPE | Art-Pie
The artist’s vision of our current society is not that reassuring and the somewhat recurrent use of circus related elements – circus music, belly dancers, clowns on stilts, monkeys riding small bicycles and firework displays adds to it, making the whole thing very chaotic and scary.
How often are sad clowns used in movies to scare the sh*t ouf of you uh?
The show runs until the 4th July 2015. Find out more about The Golden Age of Grotesque show at Lawrence Alkin Gallery
Photo London is located in the heart of the city and benefits from the support of London’s best photographers. Click here to watch these photographers discuss their love of photography, and why London is an important cultural hub for photography, in a special video for Photo London.
From the 19-22 May, Photo London will be celebrating the ever popular medium of photography across the capital by bringing some of the world’s leading practitioners, curators, exhibitors and dealers together with the public. Photo London have collaborated with 80 of the best galleries from around the globe to put together a stellar line up of both exhibitions and events, such as book signings and discussions, with those renowned in the field.
Amongst those attending is Don McCullin. Recently named Photo London’s Master of Photography 2016, the legendary war photographer will be the subject of an exclusive exhibition at Somerset House. McCullin will also be in conversation with Simon Baker, Photography Curator at Tate in a public talk on 19 May. This opportunity is available to anybody who purchases a ticket to Photo London thanks to the support of the LUMA Foundation, who work to support the activities of independent artists and pioneers.
Elsewhere, specially-commissioned exhibition, Photoprovocations, is set to be on view at the West Embankment Galleries. This showcase recognises Sergey Chilikov as an outstanding practitioner of the ‘new’ photography which emerged in the USSR in the 1970s. The work of Wolfgang Tillmans will also be displayed in Between Bridges at Somerset House. Stepping aside from the sensationalism surrounding the ‘Brexit’ coverage in the media, Tillmans aims to inform the public about the democratic and humantarian benefits of remaining within the European Union.
Photo London’s main exhibitors section welcomes a wealth of established galleries including Beetles+Huxley, London; Polka Galerie, Paris; The Photographers’ Gallery, London; Magnum Photos, Paris-London; and Michael Reid Gallery, Sydney-Berlin. In addition, new and emerging organisations will also have a place at the event in Photo London’s newest section Discovery, reserved specifically to introduce praiseworthy, but less well known, galleries to new audiences. Exhibitors include Tiwani Contemporary and TJ Boulting. Already one of the top 10 visitor attractions in the UK, Photo London’s home, Somerset House, is itself a cultural hotspot and a centre for art and culture in the heart of London.
London’s public museums and galleries will also put the spotlight on photography this month: Martin Parr will curate Strange and Familiar: Britain as Revealedby International Photographers at the Barbican Art Gallery; National Portrait Gallery hosts Vogue 100: A Century of Style; Science Museum/Media Space displays the work of William Henry Fox Talbot; the V&A presents Paul Strand: Photography and Film for the 20th Century; and Tate Modern examines contemporary work in Performing for the Camera.
This year’s Photo London edition will feature the talents of two rising practitioners from the London art scene. Walter and Zoniel will transform the uncanny underground spaces of The Deadhouse at Somerset House into a giant camera for opening night. By doing this, the artists plan to create the largest ever Ambrotype portrait as a live ‘happening’, energising visitors ahead of the following four days, which promise to be filled with world class photography and photographers.
Photo London 2016, 19-22 May, Somerset House, London.
Guggenheim, modern and contemporary international art museum located in Manhattan, New York has recently made available online the publications they have been producing for the numerous shows and exhibitions that have been happening there.
Browse through the collection going as far back as 1937 and let you be transport through times. Here below are our top 5 most visually appealing with a direct link to the actual publication. Do you agree with out choice?
1. SIX PAINTERS AND THE OBJECT
Lawrence Alloway
Published in 1963
28 pages, fully illustrated
Softcover
This November 2010 London Miles gallery presents a themed group exhibition featuring a bold selection from the International Contemporary art movement.
Where contemporary artists hark back to the masters of past movements paying homage to what was not only inspirational to forming how they paint today, but to what has formed the whole epoch of creative output as we now know it. Â Continue reading The idol hours: group exhibition at London Miles→
When I first saw these pictures by photographer Jean-Paul Bourdier, I was completely amazed by the clever compositions and juxtapositions and even more by the colours which shine in front of your eyes.
My immediate second thought was that these must be digitally manipulated but I was glad to find out that they do not appear to be, the models used here would get body painted.
What a superb piece of body art mixed with photography these are.
All the pics below were taken in the deserts of West America with an analog camera. You can find more of these body paintings photography in his book entitled Bodyscapes
About the author
Jean Paul Bourdier is the author of Leap Into The Blue, Bodyscapes (introduction and dvd by Trinh T. Minh-ha), co-author with Trinh Minh-ha of Vernacular Architecture of West Africa, Habiter un monde, African Spaces and Drawn from African Dwellings. Production designer of seven films and co-director of two films directed by Trinh T. Minh-ha.
Awards include Guggenheim, American Council of Learned Societies, NEA, Graham, UC President’s Humanities, and Getty. Professor of design, drawing and photography in the department of architecture at UC Berkeley.
PV Wednesday 7/9 6.00-8.00PM | Show: 8/9 till 15/10/2011
Rowena Hughes works with the layering of abstract form and photographic imagery from discarded books, drawing or screen-printing a recurring vocabulary of geometric form often based on Roger Penrose’s complex non-repeating patterns onto images of baroque architecture or the natural world. The element of chance in the printed compositions exploits the interplay between the intentional and the accidental, the ideal abstract rational order of mathematics and the evocative uncertainty of the found book pages.
ROWENA HUGHES recently graduated from the Slade MFA. Her work was selected for New Contemporaries at A Foundation, Liverpool and the ICA, London as well as being included in the group exhibitions at Rod Barton, Arcade and FAS Contemporary. Hughes was named in the Independent as one of the ten most interesting artists to graduate in 2011.
1. SIX PAINTERS AND THE OBJECT
2. ALEXANDER CALDER: A RETROSPECTIVE EXHIBITION
3. PAUL KLEE 1879-1940: A RETROSPECTIVE EXHIBITION
4. ART OF THE AVANT-GARDE IN RUSSIA: SELECTIONS FROM THE GEORGE COSTAKIS COLLECTION
5. ART OF TOMORROW : FIFTH CATALOGUE OF THE SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM COLLECTION OF NON-OBJECTIVE PAINTINGS (1939)
