There are quite a few light-painting based videos/animations out there these days, some very well done, some others a bit less but what about this one – “RIPPLED“, another collaboration between Darcy Prendergast and the creative team at OH YEAH WOW.
Two words – truly amazing.
You do not get perfection or beauty without pain. 6 months is how long this work took to get wrapped up and frame by frame animation and long exposure technique were how they proceeded. The camera was the weapon and the creativity topped it all off.
Liu Bolin is a Chinese artist who studied art (Bachelor of Fine Arts in 1995 and Master of Fine Arts in 2001). He exhibited on a few museums and galleries around the world but what caught my attention are his “Hiding in the City” series; photographic works that began as performance art in 2005 and which has given him the nickname of “The Invisible Man”
These series was a direct response/reaction to the destruction of his village – Suo Jia, by the Chinese government in 2005. Obviously affected by this event, Liu decided to use his art as a means of silent protest, calling attention to the lack of protection Chinese artists had received from their own government. Through the use of his own body in his practice of painting himself into various settings in Beijing, Liu created a space for the Chinese artist, preserving their social status and highlighting their often troubled relationship with their physical surroundings.
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). □
His name is Hal Lasko, his nickname Grandpa. What he did for living is something we will probably never see again – he was a graphic artist back when everything was done by hand. He then had to retired and his caring family had the genius idea to introduce him to the computer and especially to Microsoft Paint.
Since then Grandpa spends ten hours a day moving pixels around his computer paintings. Some would call his work pointillism, others 8-Bit art but it might be a bit of both.
Anyway, another inspiration that is Hal Lasko, The Pixel Painter. We have included below a video interview of the artist plus a few examples of his works.
The Project is an art competition that will allow emerging talents to gain exposure in one of East London’s cultural hotspots. The twelve-month project includes three commissions launched by three live events, hosted in conjunction with the start of Rich Mix’s new seasons.
We went to see the wall painted by Remi Rough and it is ace – see pictures below
More about the project below:
The Havana Club Wall Project is a celebration of the unique spirit of the Cuban city of Havana. It will embody the unique and inspiring attitude that reflects the true values of the Cuban capital – humanity, spontaneity and creativity – all of which are synonymous with authentic Cuban rum.
Artist Remi/Rough is launching the Havana Club Wall Project with his interpretation and vision of the values that make Havana so unique. The celebrated urban artist has been specially commissioned to design and paint an interior wall that runs the entire length of the Rich Mix events space. The Wall Project is then open as a competition to encourage amateur or professional artists to submit their interpretation of the true values of Havana.
Two winners will then launch the following seasons with their designs on Saturday May 7th and Friday 2nd September. Entries are submitted by e-mail to visualarts@richmix.co.uk, a selection will be posted on the Havana Club UK and Rich Mix facebook page to invite public feedback and final judging will be made by a panel led by Remi/Rough.
Entries must be submitted by: March 7th – with the winning wall design on show from May to July 2011 / OR / July 2nd – with the winning wall design on show from July to September 2011 For further enquiries please contact Krista Booker krista@theneonhub.com or 0207 729 5129
Tom French is one of these artists who conveys a very particular style and when you see a “Tom French” you know right away that it is a “Tom French”.
With this idea occupying my mind, I was looking forward to see the artist’s new show “Flux” at Lawrence Alkin gallery. I was already familiar with the artist’s intricate style where skulls are a major element in his works.
But look closer and you might realise that there is most probably another more important element in that artist’s composition : the “hidden” characters that actually make up those skulls and faces and this is what we particularly like this artist.
FLUX is another tribute to the fact that the artist plays so cleverly with figurative realism and surrealism and invite you to a twirl of emotions and suggestions.
If you have been near Trafalgar Square in London, you must have noticed a 7m high sculpture looking like a thumbs up.
This particular pedestal on the square is called the Fourth Plinth and the current artist showing their works is David Shrigley.
So what’s next for the Fourth Plinth?
2018 & 20 shortlists announced
London’s National Gallery has revealed the five shortlisted proposals for the 2018 and 2020 Fourth Plinth commissions by artists Huma Bhabha, Damián Ortega, Heather Phillipson, Michael Rakowitz, and Raqs Media Collective.
The shortlisted proposals, which are currently on show in the National Gallery’s Annenberg Court until 26 March 2017, include an empty white robe, a recreation of a sculpture destroyed by ISIS, and a scoop of parasite-covered ice cream.
Not long now to find out which two works will be selected to finally stand on the plinth in 2018 and 2020.
Shortlisted sculptures in images
“Untitled” by Huma Bhabha
– an imposing figure, the scale reflecting a modern comic sci-fi movie.
Untitled, by Huma Bhabha
“High Way” by Damián Ortega
– a playful and precarious construction of a truck, oil cans, scaffold and a ladder.
“THE END” by Heather Phillipson
– explores the extremes of shared experience, from commemorations and celebrations to mass protests, all while being observed by a drone’s camera.
“The Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist” by Michael Rakowitz
– a recreation of the Lamassu, a winged bull and protective deity, which was destroyed by ISIS in 2015.
“The Emperor’s Old Clothes” by Raqs Media Collective
– explores how power can be both present and absent in sculpture.
Some artists such as Miguel Endara have got magic coming out of their fingers and in this case out of his Micron Pen. 3.2 millions ink dots were needed to recreate a portrait of his father and it took him 210 hours to complete the piece which is not only a proof of dedication but also a very powerful illustration where the subject seems to be sleeping face on the canvas.
