Art For Heart's Sake – Charity Auction in aid of Kids Company

Margarita by Carne GriffithsThere is still time to go and see the Art For Heart’s Sake – Charity Auction in aid of Kids Company which runs until the 17th February 2012. Art For Heart’s Sake is a social enterprise that seeks to raise awareness and encourage charitable donation through creative engagement.

Some of the noticeable work on auction is ‘Margarita’ by Carne Griffiths. The artwork has been specially created for the exhibition, and is painted in tea and ink onto 540gsm watercolour paper, yes tea!

Other donated works includes artwork from David Spiller, Adam Bridgland, Charlotte Cory, Zoe Mendelson, Inject Love – Brusse and Hanse Cora, and will also feature 100 photographic prints all available to buy chosen from an amazing 5400 submitted works in the hipstamatic sponsored competition

Bid online for this work by visiting the art for heart’s sake website www.artforheartssake.co.uk

 

5 Great Cities For Street Art

Street art cities | Art-PieThese days, some of the most interesting artists and art projects from all over the world are accessible from the comfort of our own homes. Whether you’re interested in digital art, galleries from your favourite artists, or even researching and comparing different pieces, you can do just about anything you need on your computer. Indeed, there’s something appealing about picking up a bottle of wine from Marks and Spencer, getting comfortable at your computer, and sifting through sites for your favourite art.

However, there’s also something special about getting out into the world to see great works of art in person – particularly if you’re interested in street art. Sure, you’ll find endless collections of images online, and in some cases you can even have them made into canvases for your apartment! But you can’t do street art justice unless you see it in person. With that in mind, here’s a quick look at 5 of the best cities in the world for viewing exceptional street art, as identified by Fodor’s.

Buenos Aires, Argentina
Giant maps, abstract art, football celebrations, and of course, political statements dominate Buenos Aires’s buildings, largely because the city has made it completely legal to tag. The only catch is that building owners have to agree – and in a city already full of incredible graffiti, most owners are probably inclined to encourage more!

Los Angeles, California USA
LA is famous for celebrating artistic expression, and that characteristic of the city certainly extends to street art. From Banksy, to Retna, and even the artist behind Barack Obama’s campaign posters, LA brings in the stars, resulting in outstanding murals and graffiti.

London, England
Not only is the local tagging in parts of London fairly legendary, but the city is also a hub for famous artists from all over the world. In terms of celebrity status, Banksy is about as big as a street artist can get, and has done a great deal of outstanding work in London’s Square Mile.

Berlin, Germany
Known as an artistic hub in general, Berlin is home to some of the world’s most inspired street art. In fact, well known street artists from all over the world travel to Berlin specifically to tag, and this has led to some truly outstanding creations worth seeing in person. Head to Gustav Meyer Allee in Kreuzberg to see a clock tower mural recently installed by famous French artist JR.

Bogota, Colombia
Murals and graffiti dominate the city walls of Bogota, and vary greatly in nature. From politically inspired art and inscriptions against former government executives, to vibrant, expressive art, Bogota has it all. Be sure to visit the portion of the city called La Candelaria – a charming city quarter on its own, but also the centre of street art activity.

Cissy Cook at Smithfield gallery: chill out

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I had only gone once to the Smithfield gallery a while back ago to see DEUS – works from the UVA (United Visual Artists) and was happily pleased with it although I did not know what to make of it before seeing it. I headed down in the same state of mind last week end to check out their current exhibition – Cissy Cook – new work.

The only thing I know was that Cissy’s work is all about papercuts that mainly picture butterflies. Not the kind of things I am too keen on I first thought but getting to see things you know little of should be the attitude and I am glad I went that day. Continue reading Cissy Cook at Smithfield gallery: chill out

Word To Mother at Stolen Space

StolenSpace is proud to present Word To Mother’s fifth solo show with us, entitled ‘Essence Of Adolescence’ featuring a new body of mixed media paintings on wooden panels.

‘Essence of Adolescence’ is an enlightening glimpse into the artist’s visually obsessed mind. Word To Mother invites the viewer to take a glimpse of his inner mindscape. An outward manifestation that combines references drawn from his childhood and the visual stimulation that he absorbed; cartoons juxtaposed with more serious emotive thoughts and fears that face him as an adult living and painting in East London.

Incorporating hand drawn personal sentiments,emotions and feelings that he executes in the form ofloose script, inspired from his experience as a tattoo artist and tight sign written letters, drawn from years of painting graffiti. A beautiful juxtaposition, of fragile and emotive elements shown through subtle textures and washes of colour, but with a strength and confidence fused with his signature patterns, architecture & figures, this body of work is melancholic yet fun and playful.

With anearthy ‘London’ palette of grey tones excentuating splashes of brighter ‘seaside’ colours of fluro red, pink, yellows and turquoise which give the paintings an optimistic feel. Word To Mother draws inspiration from an adolscence which holds precious memories, juxtaposed with an adulthood which has made him the talented artist he is today.

Word To Mother
‘Essence Of Adolescence’
14.10.11 – 30.10.11

Amar Stewart X Lava Gallery

Amar Stewart steps up to the Lava gallery for his first solo show of 2011.

We first viewed Amar’s work in the East Gallery in early 2010, the show had dark undertones, accented with sections of colour, A mixture of spray paint and acrylic. A different approach has been taken this time, the entire gallery almost devoid of colour, a series of large canvases featuring Black and white photorealistic portraits.

This was a understated approach for show early in the year and to be honest, a welcome one.  It is easy to feel bombarded when you attend opening nights, peering through crowds to look at large canvases. Lava gallery is only a small space located on the first floor of Kingly Court, just off Carnaby Street.

Amar and the Lava crew did a great job laying out the space, taking a simplistic approach with the arrangement going with white walls and monochrome artworks.  It had a overall relaxed vibe, even with droves of friends and fans, it was easy to move around and check out all the work.

Amar’s progression in portraiture is developing a rapid rate and we look forward to seeing what he has to offer in the future.

Check out a the rest of the pics here: Amar Stewart at Lava gallery by Chasinghosts on Flickr

Snik at The Gallery – Nocturnal

Snik’s first ever solo show called “Nocturnal” will be held this week at the Gallery in Redchurch Street.

Snik’s show should show us the outcome of a long process where he tried new techniques, images and materials. Snik is known to come up with the most ludicrous stencils to cut out and I hear that on this occasion, he shall be true to his reputation so if you are keen on stencil works, this show is for you.

The artist: Snik
The dates:  opening night ->1/11/2011: 6.30pm – 10pm then until 6/11 inclusive
The venue: The Gallery – 50 Redchurch Street – London E2 7DP

Snik at The Gallery

Snow circles by Sonja Hinrichsen

There are many ways of enjoying snow, some would get strapped on their snowboard and speed down the slopes whilst other may just look at it falling down. Sonja Hinrichsen thought otherwise, radically so even.

She gathered five people and warned them they will be needed for a few hours, 3 to be precise. To do what? Snow circles. Filmed from the air and the whole thing acquires another dimension, majestic and surreal. Video and pictures below.

> View another drawing from Sonja
> Full photoset for “snow circles”

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Elissa Franceschi EP Launch at Nothing Hill Arts Club

Elissa Franceschi | Art-PieIntroducing Elissa Franceschi, a prolific songwriter with a distinctive powerhouse vocal who has built a reputation based on organic, grass roots promotion and haunting live performances. Having previously performed in some of the UK’s most famous venues (Brixton Academy, The Roundhouse, Astoria and Wembley Arena – supporting Paramore and You Me At Six), Elissa spent the majority of 2012 performing all over the UK with her live band, and being teamed up with the country’s top songwriting production houses (of Jessie J & Ellie Goulding fame) to co-write for other artists.

The release of ‘Devoid of Rue’ on 24th June 2013, the follow-up EP to Elissa’s three independent album releases ‘Touch’, ‘I Hold My Breath’, and ‘Into The Light’. Recorded and mixed by Matt O’Grady (You Me At Six, Don Broco, Deaf Havana), ‘Devoid Of Rue’ was funded without label support but instead through a successful fan-funded Pledge Music campaign, where Elissa gave fans exclusive access to bonus tracks and videos, opportunities for one-of-a-kind experiences, along with live updates which gave fans a unique interactive look at the process of making the EP. The embedded stream can be found here;

The record is an evolution of songwriting for Elissa, giving new listeners a taste of previous albums in the beautiful piano-and-vocal-only track ‘Oceans’, and existing fans something new in the form of the rockier ‘Outside My Body’. With additions of atmospheric ‘Chasing Something’, epic ‘Dust’, and the anthemic brand new single ‘All These Days’ – this EP really showcases the exciting and emerging talent Elissa Franceschi has become.

Elissa saw even greater success in 2012 as the first artist hand-picked to perform at the London 2012 Olympics as part of the Emerging Icons search for the UK’s best unsigned talent, and saw her track ‘Rainbow On Fire’climb Number 14 on the iTunes Singer-Songwriter chart through word of mouth alone. Now, 2013 has seen Elissa scale new heights with recent single ‘Salt’ being voted as ‘Track Of The Week’ on the Radio 1 Review Show with Edith Bowman, beating global superstar artists Beyoncé, will.i.am, Justin Bieber and 30 Seconds To Mars; while also hitting Number 1 on the National Student Radio Charts.

What – Elissa Franceschi EP Launch
Where – Nothing Hill Arts club
When – 25/06/13 from 7pm

More from the artist
elissafranceschi.com
facebook.com/elissafranceschimusic
twitter.com/elissa_f
youtube.com/elissafranceschi

STREET ART