There you have it – the first edition of The Creative Bubble, a new monthly event down in South London just a stone throw away from the Thames.What are we looking at here? Three nights, once a month, The Creative Bubble will try to painti a new picture of contemporary art via a host of different mediums. And more importsntly, there will be a 30 day rolling gallery with original art and limited edition prints, curated by Incandescent Artists, is a showcase of a who’s who in the UK art scene.
The exhibition is complemented by 3 nights of award winning short films, slam poetry and music.
The first set of visual artists is set to be a cracker – Inkie – Parlee ERZ – Dan ‘DANK’ Kitchener – Gnasher -Eska -Rowan Newton – Otto Schade -spZero76 – KeMeF Inc – Suzko -Zina – Cherie Strong – Artista – Jack Candy Kemp – SLM – Hush – Amara Por Dios – Martyna Pikula – Lee Hadwin – Rosie Emerson – ROO – Skyhigh and Sam Gare.WHAT – THE CREATIVE BUBBLE WHERE – Roxy Bar & Screen, 128 – 132 Borough High Street, London SE1 1LB WHEN – Event dates: 15th -16th -17th April 2014 Exhibition Dates: 15th April – 14th May 2014
With the release of the new Batman : Arkham night video game just around the corner, we looked at 5 remarkable street art pieces related to the broader ‘Batman’ theme.
JPS
JPS , UK street is our first artist. JPS’s does pop culture works with a witty slogan. JPS’ often depicts iconic comic book and movie characters including Ted, Batman, Spiderman, and even Freddie Kruger and normally stencils them. Read an interview with Street Artist United States
Mario Calvo and Pato Kozow
The work below, ‘The Creation of Batman‘ was painted in a square in Buenos Aires and you may have recognised its reinterpretation of Michael Angelo’s ‘The creation of Adam’ he painted in the Sistine Chapel. God is played by The Joker and the part of Adam is played by Batman.
memeIRL This artist is France based and the piece is called ‘Batman and Robin kissing’
Artist unknown
This is actually an illustration but we thought we’ll throw it in there as we find it quite funny
Sacha Goldberger is a French photographer born in 1968. He has worked as artistic director in several well-known agencies. Otherwise, he has written and worked on many books and is now known all around the world.
He became famous especially for his photo series “Mamika”, a grandmother superhero performing tasks of daily life. Mamika, the real grandmother of Sasha, is quite a funny person.
The artist latest exhibition, which was recently held an exhibition at the School Gallery Paris was entitled “Super Flemish” and transform Pop Culture icons into the style of 16th Century Flemish aristocrats.
You will recognise Hulk or Spiderman but also Star Wars characters.
This exhibition aims to show Chila Kumari Burman’s work from 2000 to the present. For more than twenty five years Chila has been creating powerful images of contemporary Asian Feminisms.
Born in Liverpool to a Hindu Punjabi family Chila’s art explores issues of class, gender, ethnicity, identity – but through the prism of defiance and love. Her work is informed by popular culture, Bollywood, fashion, found objects and a long-sustained examination of self-portraiture.
The exhibition will showcase a dazzling array of media: printmaking, collage, mixed media, photography, sculpture and painting. Through all of these media Chila’s aim remains steady: the provocative undermining of fixed categories.
A definite must-see show
What – MAJAJANI When – Fri 3 April – Thu 30 April Where – Rich Mix, 35 – 47 Bethnal green road, Shoreditch (Mezzanine + Lower Cafe Gallery)
A quick stop at home to drop our bags and off we went to Kachette in Shoreditch for the Press launch night of the latest show curated by Moniker Projects front man, Frankie Shea. We were thrilled for the invite and looked forward to seeing the artworks in person after reading about it.
In a nutshell – the exhibition reimagines the Caped Crusader’s iconic Cape and Cowl headpiece. WB Games UK has teamed up with twenty contemporary artists and celebrities to celebrate the launch of Batman: Arkham Knight.
More pictures can be found below the article
By INKIE
Immediately upon entering this disused tube station you are struck by the iconic silhouttes of Batman. Or rather the Batmen! Lined up across the whole length of Kachette and its brick archways are tall and imposing figures. We started the tour…
Each were unique but some replicas stood out from others, such as the ones by INSA, INKIE or CYCLOPS… but we’ll let you decide and report back onto here. Below you will find full details of the artist line up, as well as information about the show.
A view of some of the replicas
Featuring artists Nancy Fouts, Lauren Baker, Hayden Kays, Inkie, Pam Glew, INSA, The Connor Brothers, Zeus, Matt Small, Jon Burgerman, CASE, CRASH, Cyclops, Kid Acne, Logan Hicks and Pure Evil and celebrities from the worlds of TV, film, music and fashion, such as Jonathan Ross, Noel Clarke, Eliza Doolittle and Jodie Kidd.
WHAT – The Batman: Arkham Knight Cape & Cowl Exhibition WHERE – Kachette, 347 Old St., Shoreditch, London, EC1V 9LP (nearest stations Liverpool Street, Old Street & Shoreditch High Street) WHEN – Tuesday 23 to Saturday 27 June – 11am to 9pm and Sunday 28 June – 11am to 5pm
We were instantly moved when we looked at Victor Lundy’s sketchbook.
The quality of the drawings is impressive and the story behind them heart breaking : Victor Lundy’s documented his time in the army and fighting in the second world war.
We appreciate the soft yet very efficient touch in Lundy’s drawings. We feel that his drawings were done in one sitting, no erasing but a driving hand screen printing, if you like, what his eyes recorded.
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A ‘natural-born’ skilled individual
We learned that Victor Lundy was born in New York City in 1923 and very young, he showed some artistic skills which will lead him to attend New York University to study architecture, specialising in the Beaux Arts style.
A will to help post-war
Lundy did not have to be involved with war but the thought of doing his bit in rebuilding Europe once World War II was over was very strong, so much so that he voluntarily joined the Army and very quickly ended up at the very forefront of the action.
This is at that time where he would capture any faces, scenes or moments in his sketchbook.
We included a few drawings of the very evocative Victor Lundy’s sketchbook (all images below are courtesy of LIBRARY OF CONGRESS)
Artist Alexander Newley is delighted to announce his solo exhibition ‘Portraits in Character – supporting St Martin-in-the-Fields’, in the Crypt of St Martin’s, Trafalgar Square from 7th to 21st November. The exhibition is to run in partnership with St Martin-in-the-Fields, a fitting location for the exhibition, with its proximity to the National Portrait Gallery and National Gallery, and will mark Newley’s return to the London art world after several years in New York.
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Auction to support St Martin- in-the-Fields
Saint Martin-in-the-Fields (click to enlarge)
In Spring 2017 the paintings and drawings featured in ‘Portraits in Character – supporting St Martin- in-the-Fields’, will be auctioned to benefit the work of St Martin-in-the-Fields, including their outreach with homeless people.
For more information about this auction in support of St Martin-in-the-Fields please contact StMartins@activ.org.uk
Portraits of comedians such as Dame Judi Dench
Newley collaborated with Kenneth Branagh to create a unique series of portraits of several of the leading cast from the Plays at the Garrick season, which comes to a close this November. Alexander Newley spent time with the cast over a period of one year, capturing the actors in character backstage after performances.
The result is a series of drawings and paintings capturing the aura of some of the UK’s most celebrated actors; Dame Judi Dench, Kenneth Branagh, Adrian Lester, Derek Jacobi, Richard Madden and Lily James.
Alexander Newley commented:
Painting an actor in character adds another layer of interest for me. I’ve always been fascinated by the unknowable human self and how it variously disguises and forms itself into the mask of personality. In a theatrical portrait, that self is further warped and refracted through the mask of portrayal. I am making a portrait of their portrait, in other words, which is a fascinating game of chess on many levels.
About Alexander Newley
Alexander Newley
Alexander Newley is a leading contemporary portrait artist working on both sides of the Atlantic, known for his iconic depictions of major figures in the Arts including; Gore Vidal, Billy Wilder, Christopher Reeve, Oliver Stone and Steven Berkoff. His portrait of Gore Vidal, America’s infamous polemicist and wit, and his dramatic triple-portrait of Actor, Activist and former Superman star Christopher Reeve, imprisoned in his life-supporting wheelchair, form part of the permanent collection of The National Portrait Gallery at The Smithsonian in Washington DC.
About St Martin-in-the-Fields
St Martin-in-the-Fields is a landmark church, which has been serving London for centuries. The iconic building stands as a beacon in Trafalgar Square, welcoming people through its doors for services, music or simply as a place of quiet sanctuary from the bustle of central London.
St Martin’s is famous for offering a welcome and practical support to some of the most vulnerable people in society. This December marks the 90th Anniversary of the BBC Radio 4 Christmas Appeal. The money raised helps homeless people who receive shelter, food, help and advice at The Connection at St Martin’s; as well as maintaining a special Vicar’s Relief Fund which makes thousands of one off grants to vulnerable people across the UK.
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
There you have it – the first edition of The Creative Bubble, a new monthly event down in South London just a stone throw away from the Thames.What are we looking at here? Three nights, once a month, The Creative Bubble will try to painti a new picture of contemporary art via a host of different mediums. And more importsntly, there will be a 30 day rolling gallery with original art and limited edition prints, curated by Incandescent Artists, is a showcase of a who’s who in the UK art scene.
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