Haroshi at Stolen Space

As soon as you step in Stolen Space, you cannot help but look to the right as you have spotted something big from the corner of your eye. It is there. The vultur is looking at you.

No I have not gone mad but am only looking at Haroshi‘s masterpiece depicting what looks like a vultur with one noticeable detail – the wings are made of old skateboards decks. The gallery is hosting until the 3/11, Haroshi’s first solo show in this space and promised us something radically different, something fresh and unseen before. So far, they have not lied, I had not seen a vultur made of old skateboard decks before.

Haroshi at Stolen Space | Art-Pie

Originally from Tokyo, Haroshi has been collected and used discarded remains of broken down skateboard decks to produce wooden sculpture. The concept of reshaping what once was used as skateboard into pieces of art certainly sound like something that should have been done before.

Or maybe not. Maybe it was worth waiting all that time to see it done as Haroshi’s sculpture are beautiful, polished and colourful. It is hard to believe that the artist did not have any formal training in sculpture but is a 100% self taught artist. This is for the visual aspect.

Now, his works also transpire emotions, and especially “Agony into beauty” which depicts the face of a man who seems to be in pain.

Haroshi at Stolen Space | Art-PieHaroshi at Stolen Space | Art-Pie

Haroshi’s first solo exhibition at StolenSpace is indeed looking at the effects of emotional pain and how it can be a great motivating force in the creation of art. In short, the artist looked back at painful experiences and recycled them into his sculptures using recycling material, ie old skateboards decks.

A truly refreshing body of works that combines two worlds you would think will never meet – sculpture and skateboard

Haroshi first solo exhibition “Pain” runs until the 3/11/2013

Haroshi at Stolen Space | Art-Pie

Haroshi at Stolen Space | Art-Pie

Haroshi at Stolen Space | Art-Pie

Haroshi at Stolen Space | Art-Pie

Haroshi at Stolen Space | Art-Pie

Haroshi at Stolen Space | Art-Pie

Haroshi at Stolen Space | Art-Pie

Haroshi at Stolen Space | Art-Pie

5 awesome Star Wars themed prints by RYCA & Trafford Parsons

With the release of yet another episode of the Star Wars saga – Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, later on this year we looked at how much artists get inspired by it and selected 10 pieces we felt were worth sharing.

May the (art) force be with you. Enjoy these 5 awesome Star Wars themed prints by RYCA & Trafford Parsons

“Han Echoes Red” by RYCA
Star Wars themed prints | Art-Pie

“Choose your droid” by RYCA
Star Wars themed prints | Art-Pie

“R2 Tag2” by RYCA
Star Wars themed prints | Art-Pie

“Rebel Rebel” by RYCA
Star Wars themed prints | Art-Pie

“R2D2 by” Trafford Parsons
Star Wars themed prints | Art-Pie

Urban Barrier

Click to enlarge

Ben Oakley and No Format Gallery present a new show of over 40 artists helping everyone get into the Christmas spirit! Opening preview night Friday 7 December from 5.30pm til late at No Format Gallery.

With an array of ‘urban’ work by artists such as Guy Denning, Ray Richardson, David Bray, Static, RYCA, Pam Glew, Carne Griffiths and more there should be an arty treat for everyones stocking.

Ben Oakley says: “come along its going to be a right old knees up with over 40 top notch artists, many in attendance”

For more information visit: http://www.benoakleygallery.com/ and http://www.noformat.co.uk/

EXHIBITION VENUE:
No Format – Second Floor Studios & Arts, Harrington Way, London SE18 5NR
Train: Charlton Woolwich Dockyard DLR: Woolwich Arsenal
Bus: 180, 177, 161, 472
All media enquiries/invitations: info@benoakleygallery.com

Naerly buffed by Ben Oakley gallery

 

A quick walk down Camden high street … art

We happened to be in the Camden area today for shopping related reason but stumbled upon some great street art pieces and no long past before we were snapping these away.

We were very pleased to see one of Dan Kitchener‘s (aka DANK) piece flanked on a wall just by the Stables Market entrance in Camden. Its size is pretty impressive and the subject, a banal street scene, becomes a fireworks of colors under Dan’s spray cans.

A few more yards down and we walked the mighty Bar Fly and its giant see monsters – Pics after the fold

Dan Kitchener – DANK
Dan Kitchener | Art-Pie
Dan Kitchener | Art-Pie
Dan Kitchener | Art-Pie
Dan Kitchener | Art-Pie

Bar Fly
Bar Fly in Camden | Art-PIe
Bar Fly in Camden | Art-PIe
Bar Fly in Camden | Art-PIe

Maxime Angel – Let My Eyes Be Your Mirror at C4RD

Centre for Recent Drawing presents the first UK solo exhibition of artist Maxime Angel. Through a highly physical and performative relationship to her drawing practice, Maxime Angel mines a deep held fascination with human sexuality and mortality in her intensely beautiful yet disturbing works on paper and card.

Angel’s personal interaction with her medium and her ability to project the internal and external machinations of the artitst’s body onto the 2D plane create a deeply visceral viewing. She lies, sleeps, smudges, interacts, destroys, scars, crumples and lives with her work, upon which she inscribes her fears, experiences and realities. Thus the drawings become an artifact of her life, laid bare in an intimate exchange of imagery and symbolism that sees the viewer not only connecting with Angel but reading something of themselves in the work.

The fragile nature of the medium reflects the works powerful grasping for fleeting beauty, as young vitality morphs into decay. Angel deploys these images as a metaphor for AIDS and our constant slide towards death, although she regards the act of drawing as itself a way propagate life, a Dorian Grey like exorcism of the inevitable.

Maxime Angels work traces a long and complex historical line of queer drawing, from tattooing to gay erotica, yet cannot be described simply as pornography. Her erotic illustrations mesh together both personal and cross-cultural references in uneasy yet sublime cohesion, while her beautiful and complex compositions recall traditions of Vanitas and still life. In doing so she subverts and utilizes the gay sub cultures, religion and pop iconography that have so influenced her life, exposing and exploring perceptions of gay narcissism.

Capturing what Angel describes as the ‘perfection in decay,’ these works entice the viewer with a rich visual language which is at once highly distinctive to the artist yet ultimately recognizable and truthful. We are reminded of our own mortality, but also of the cyclical and uplifting nature of life.

Maxime Angel will be working on a large site specific drawing in the gallery space in the weeks leading up to the show- feel free to come visit and watch Angel’s process on 28-30th April and 5-7th May 12-6pm. The show is curated by Paul Kindersley.

Words by Paul Kinderseley

Where – C4RD | 2 – 4 Highbury Station Road, Highbury Islington, London.

When – opening reception on Tuesday 10th May 2011 from 6 – 8pm. The exhibition will run from 11th May to 17th June 2011

Loos with some style at Far Rock Away

There is a new boozer in town, located on Curtain road to be precised, and should you fancy having a drink while looking at various pieces from emerging (mainly) street artists, well this is your kind of place.

Ben Oakley’s Gallery acts as the curator along with Kevin Martin from Hoxton Gallery. Currently on display are Xenz, Above, Lucas Price, Cranio, Cept and Guy Denning. We are not talking just a few spread pieces but walls covered of stuff and I am not even mentioning the toilets, the best we have seen in a long time, so long that we have included a few shots below.

WHAT – Far Rock Away
WHERE – 97-113 Curtain Road, Shoreditch, EC2A 3BS.

Far Rock Away | Art-PieFar Rock Away | Art-Pie

Far Rock Away | Art-PieFar Rock Away | Art-Pie

Far Rock Away | Art-Pie

Far Rock Away | Art-Pie

Far Rock Away | Art-Pie
Far Rock Away | Art-Pie

Digital art: stop motion

Stop-motion (also known as stop-action or frame-by-frame) is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence. Clay figures are often used in stop-motion for their ease of repositioning. Stop-motion animation using clay is described as clay animation or clay-mation.

A few of the best ART-PIE have seen are below.

Hours and hours of work here for these two first examples. Top quality.

Warning: these two films contain some adult language in the subtitles, but if you can stand the occasional and brief “F” word, the pay off is huge.

Continue reading Digital art: stop motion

Crunch 2010 – The Art Festival at Hay: book the date

Ad

This year, Crunch: the art festival at hay will bring the same mix of thought-provoking debates, incisive talks and late-night parties. For one magical weekend in November, an eclectic set of artists, gallery directors, art critics, authors, academics, philosophers, film-makers and musicians will congregate in Hay to debate the big question: what’s the point of art? Continue reading Crunch 2010 – The Art Festival at Hay: book the date

STREET ART ENCOUNTERS