‘So It Goes…’ features new work from the artist’s notorious and much sought after Pulp Fiction series, which explores the porous boundary between reality and fiction. The duo have created an exclusive collection of original hand painted Pulp Fiction paperbacks, original canvas works and hand painted limited editions that reflect their interest in how our understanding of the world is formed by the narratives we tell about it.
Following a series of sell out exhibitions from Los Angeles to Sydney, these internationally acclaimed artists are back in London with not only a new body of work, but a new cause – the foundation on an NGO in association with the artists’ friends and collaborators Pussy Riot. The new show will combine reality and fiction with an installation detailing their experiences in ‘The Jungle’ refugee camp in Calais. Hang-Up will be releasing a third limited edition charity print to raise further funds to build additional shelters when they return to The Jungle with Pussy Riot in December.
WHAT – ‘SO it goes’ by The Connor Brothers WHERE – Hang Up gallery, 81 Stoke Newington Road, Stoke Newington, London N16 8AD WHEN – 13 NOV – 6 DEC 2015
On February 16, 1990, at age 31, Keith Haring’s life was cut short due to an AIDS-related illness. He would have been 54 today and as a homage, here are a few words and a tribute to his most iconic pieces of art.
I wonder what Keith Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) would make of the global phenomenon that street art is now, art form very much confined to the street of New York City at the time when he decided to move there in 1978, aged 19.
Having studied commercial art and then Fine Arts, he took a keen interest in graffiti art, Haring would go out there and paste collages of fake New York Post headlines on lamposts or news stands. He explored the likes of SAMO (Jean-Michel Basquiat) or Fab Five Fred (Fred Brathwaite) graffiti art to quickly put in practice his own interpretation of this form of art and would develop his future vocabulary of primitive cartoon-like forms. The Haring’s chalk-drawn “radiant babies” and “barking dogs” were born (see pictures) and woud become familiar sights on the matt black surfaces used to cover the old advertisements in the subways.
These chalk drawings in the subways of New York got Haring in the public eye and he would go on from there to have his first exclusive exhibition in the Tony Shafrazi Gallery which put together a retrospective a few years ago about it – see picture. Willing to reach a larger public, he immersed himself in popular American culture and befriended individials such as Andy Warhol, Madonna or Grace Jones (whom he would body-paint).
Haring was also a keen social activist and as a result of his ever increasing political involvement; he designed a Free South Africa poster in 1985 (see picture) and painting a section of the Berlin Wall in 1986 (see picture). Other works include design for Swatch watches or the Absolut Vodka advertisement (see picture)
Keith Harring’s work are just simply one of the best examples of how consumerism, popular culture and fine art merged in the 1980s.
Recommended readings
Keith Haring: The Authorized Biography by John Gruen (1991) includes interviews with the artist and those closest to him and is an invaluable source for understanding the art and life of Haring.
The early work is illustrated in Art in Transit: The Subway Drawings (1984) and Keith Haring (Shafrazi Gallery, 1982). An enlightening interview by David Sheff appeared in Rolling Stone (August 10, 1989).
Elizabeth Aubert directed an insightful video entitled Drawing the Line: A Portrait of Keith Haring (Biografilm, 1989).
Later an attempt was made to place Haring within a broader art historical context in Keith Haring, edited by Germano Celant (1992). □
We recently had the chance to get ourselves to Oslo and were eager to discover the street art scene the city could offer and came across the wonderful pieces below.
This is it. It is lunch and I am craving, not food, but a good art show to go and check out, preferably a short distance from the office.
I quickly gathered my thoughts and here I am on my way to Zari gallery on Newman street (London) or this is where I thought I was going, should I rather say.
I stand there now and as I look up, I realise that I am in front of a gallery called Edel Assanti (the galleries are next to each other but I had never realised there were two separate ones until that day).
As I step in the gallery, I cannot help but noticing the simplicity and sobriety of the venue, which is not a bad thing at all, since it enables the viewer to focus only on what matters – the artistic output from the current show.
A quick nodding to the gallery assistant and here I am, almost trotting towards the back of the gallery to look at ‘Great Wall Of Sand‘.
Great Wall Of Sand (Click to enlarge)
This very large piece drew my attention right away, because all large pieces usually do, but also because I could not make out what I was looking at from far.
I still can’t.
Now, what really needs your attention is the relief in this piece, which you cannot figure out at first but come closer and closer and you’ll see that actual sand (see below) is included in Gordon Cheung’s work.
Samples of what looks like newspapers also help to make up some of the background of this artwork.
A beautiful and dreamy piece.
Alongside the large pieces (of what looks like sceneries – more pics below), 2 other different types of works are on display –
The first one is using plain pigment paste (and later painted on) and stuck sand on canvas again (see previous post) and depicts flowers in a vase like I have never seen it before. Although, the aesthetics of the piece did not wow me, I can appreciate the various technics and the ‘refreshing’ take on such a subject.
The second type of work is radically different with the rest and is a series of what may look like collages. It also reminds me of some times where you watch TVs and the signal gets weak – you know what I mean I am sure.
I must have been distracted by the other type of artworks in this show, since as I was going through the photographs I took, I felt urge to go back and have another look at those.
Last time we saw Gordon Cheung’s works was 7 years ago and we are glad to see that the artist is still pushing the boundaries as much as in terms of the colour palette he used than disrupting the usual and common perception of a painting being flat
Back in 2008, a group of teenagers were sent to jail in the UK in lieu of defacing public property. Yet while they were being imprisoned here, their work was being hailed in the New York gallery. There is only one word that can be used to describe how the UK as a society views graffiti street art – confusion.The confusion now runs deeper than the hide and seek between those who have a can and spray, and those that remove that paint off the wall.
Revok was arrested in 2009With news such as the imprisonment of the Graffiti artists, the common perception starts to develop that the state is against such street art and perceives it to be a crime. Yet, just a few blocks away from the Southwark Crown court that passed the judgment on the graffiti artists is a Major museum that displays large murals of six distinguished street artists.
It is interesting to note that most street artists consider London in the 21st century to be for street art what Paris was in the 20th Century to Impressionism. The journey of street art in London has been and continues to be turbulent. A large number of people show displeasure at the artists, and think of them as villains disfiguring the beauty of their city. However, a growing majority loves London’s very own modern street art.
London’s street art isn’t conventional or identical to street arts around the globe. Street art in London has its own style. The artists use elegance and punk to their advantage to create murals and artworks that can seem like high quality museum quality art products. With the passage of time though, the works of street artists have started to be given importance in different circles. Some of the work has even been placed in top quality museums.
The Tate had a major Street Art show back in 2008
Banksy is the man widely accredited for taking street art into museums. He started by sneaking his works into smaller museums. Ultimately, there came a time when his books were being sold in high quality stores and his works auctioned for hundreds of thousands of pounds. His works and antics were followed by a large group of imitators. He can be accredited with having influenced the current crop of up and coming street artists. His work showed them the potential success that can be achieved by a street artist despite the odds.
One of the most famous Banksy’s pieces
Let see the street art and its definition as crime in the world over. There are countries in the world where there is clear consensus against street art and then there are countries that are relaxed about it and think of such art as a sign of the liberty of their people. In Brazil for instance, the people are more relaxed about street art, with large works of street art dedicated to famous footballers unveiled during the recently concluded Football World Cup (Read our story about street art and the 2014 Brazilian World cup). In Australia, there is a large majority of people who look down upon street art and consider art works on walls as an infringement of their rights. However, there are many people there who appreciate street art.
Street art in the UK and the world over is a highly polarizing phenomenon. There are views like the ones that regard street art as painting on the streets and not attempts at hurting or injuring anyone. They think of street art as something to be appreciated and cherished rather than white washed and destroyed. And yet there are those people who view street art as an industrial level attempt to de-beautify and infringe on the individual’s property and his rights.
While Street art continues to divide opinions on its criminality or legality, it has turned out to be a marketing campaign for leading brands like Red Bull, Puma, and Adidas etc. All these brands have tried to cash in on the increasing popularity of graffiti and street art in the UK.
Some people reject the marriage of marketing & street art
Street art has always divided opinions and it is highly unlikely any consensus will be reached soon. One thing, however, is sure – street art is starting to revolutionize the art industry in the world.
Whether the revolution is positive or negative is a matter of opinion.
I knew I would not be disappointed when I heard about the Lock Up exhibition and disappointed I wasn’t, oh no, I was overwhelmed.
By the way, that event happened last year (20th Nov till 10th Dec 2009), yes I know it is a bit late to report on it but I never got round to do it before today… But keep reading, those artists are just phenomenal. Continue reading The Lock Up exhibition: just what I like→
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→
