Fragile, a new show by Dan Baldwin at Gallery 8

September 18, 2013 Pierrick Senelaer Leave a comment

We have had to wait for three years but it is now upon us – “Fragile”, the new solo show by Dan Baldwin is opening tomorrow to the publich at Gallery 8. We hear that the artist will explore the concepts of mortality and beauty. As always, the new works by Dan Baldwin promise to be distinctively colourful defying categorisation as figurative or abstract, real or imaginary.

For those not so familiar with Dan Baldwin’s works, expect encompassing ceramics, silkscreen prints, resin, acrylics, spray paint and found objects carefully mixed together and resulting in complex and intricate pieces. It is also worth to point out that most of the objects in his uses have been collected since he was a child.

The show will present another set of large-scale acrylic works where the artist continue the exploration of symbolism and narrative. By contrast, the artist has also developed a series of abstract canvasses which are devoid of any motifs but instead explore further his fascination with colour harmony. In comparison to others in the exhibition, these works evoke a positive response in the viewer but still ask us to consider the uncertain and short-lived nature of human happiness.

Sacrilegium by Dan Baldwin | Art-Pie — Sacrilegium – click to enlarge

A large proportion of the show will be dedicated to a series of delicate ceramics, a medium with which the artist has started to experiment further in recent years. Now working with a Sicilian pottery workshop, the artist is creating increasingly elaborate urn-like vessels which are representative of death and the fleeting nature of our existence. The most ambitious to date is perhaps “Sacrilegium” (2013) which is adorned with a real human skull cast in clay as well as 20% pure gold paint, crucifix, cherubs and an antique Russian bear figurine. These motifs increase the funerary connotations of the object, making it appear fragile in more ways than one.

But Dan Baldwin’s exploration of new mediums in his art does not stop here. He has also developed a series of large-scale tile paintings for the exhibition. “The Picnic” (2012), for example, is made up of 96 tiles overlaid with several glazes and precious metals. The dreamlike scene is filled with juxtapositions of life and death, innocence and corruption; children play with a severed head whilst Mickey Mouse dances with a skeleton. In a final act of ‘iconoclasm’ the artist smashed the tiles before assembling them, to demonstrate their fragility

What – “Fragile” the new solo show by Dan Baldwin
Where – Gallery 8
When – 20/9 till 5/10/2013 (private view on the 19/9)

CONTEMPORARY ART

Time lapse: Sugar Skull by Paul Alexander Thornton

July 24, 2010 Pierrick Senelaer Leave a comment

Sugar Skull by Paul Alexander Thornton Continue reading Time lapse: Sugar Skull by Paul Alexander Thornton →

BLOG, PREVIEW

Artful at the Affordable Art Fair in Battersea London

October 22, 2015 Pierrick Senelaer Leave a comment

The Affordable Art Fair (AAF), taking place this week end in Battersea, is one of our favourite art fairs in London. We enjoy it for many reasons but above all because of the quality and diversity of the exhibitors such as Artful.

110 galleries with 1,100 artists

Get ready to add a splash of art to your walls as the Affordable Art Fair returns to Battersea Park this October. New galleries will fly in from across the globe to exhibit alongside fair favourites, so whether your taste is traditional or trailblazing, classic or cutting-edge, you’re sure to find an artwork to suit your space.

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Artful, stand F2

Meet Joshua Blackburn, its founder:

“Photography is a narrative art that deals with snatched moments, like a form of visual eavesdropping. For me, this quality is what makes photography so engaging. The audience gets a window into an alternate reality that can be enigmatic and intriguing.

Night Visitors #4 by Adrian Siamson | Art-Pie

This is certainly what drew me to the works you find here. These stories, or story fragments, have an aura of the unreal and unexpected. Some, like Adrian Samson’s Night Visitors, are fantastic. Others, like James French’s Beach, are almost cinematic. Even familiar subjects – the city skyline, the petrol station, the forest – have an unfamiliar quality that draws me in.

I love work like this because I can return to it again and again and feel its pull. It’s a pleasure listening to a great storyteller, even when you’ve heard the story before, and it’s the same with great photography. You want to stop and look… and look again.”

CONTEMPORARY ART

Linder Sterling: Collage and Montage

January 30, 2012 Brian Morrison 3 Comments

John Stezaker once said of Collage that it “is a yearning for a lost world and reflects a universal sense of loss”. Those sentiments are certainly reflected in the work of artist and radical feminist Linder Sterling (also known as Linder).

In her series Pretty Girls, Linder reacted to visual world she occupied, a society of inequality and the gender specific rhetoric. Linder used the magazines of the late 70’s and 80’s as her painters brush. Splicing images of naked women from pornography, and kitchen appliances from those awful home improvement catalogues, she created a curious and slightly disturbing, yet telling depiction on the representation of women of the time.

Looking back at these images from the 70’s and the post punk era it’s amazing how contemporary they feel. Is this due to the inherent nature of collage and it’s yearning for a lost world (as Stezaker put it). Or is it that in a time when we are bombarded with imagery on a daily basis that more and more contemporary artists and looking back in time in an attempt to decipher it all?

Guest post by Brian J Morrison

GRAFFITI

Birth of a spraycan

March 21, 2013 Pierrick Senelaer 1 Comment

Montana Cans gives you a very interesting insight in the production of a spray paint can. You will see the whole process.

BLOG, PREVIEW

‘Portraits in Character’ by Alexander Newley at St Martin’s in-the-Fields

November 4, 2016 Pierrick Senelaer Leave a comment

‘PORTRAITS IN CHARACTER’ BY ALEXANDER NEWLEY IN THE CRYPT OF ST MARTIN’S | Art-Pie — Alexander Newley painting Dame Judi Dench

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

St martin in the Fields | Art-Pie — 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 | art-Pie — 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.

OPENINGS, REVIEWS

White Cube, Bermondsey

October 13, 2011 Laura Cutajar 2 Comments

Funding cuts aplenty and rent price hikes it’s no wonder galleries are tiptoeing around trying to make the best decisions when it comes to their businesses. So there was surprise when art collector Jay Joplin announced the opening of his third London space – White Cube Bermondsey.

Already coveting two sort-after addresses in Mayfair and Hoxton this new venture seems to be taking on not only a larger space – in fact 58,000 sq ft of interior space- but a different vibe too. Set in 1970s warehouse it is the largest of the gallery’s three London sites and has been re designed by Casper Mueller Kneer Architects. The result is what on the opening last night looked like a cross between a spaceship and a multi-storey car park entrance.

There is a particular timing about this new space as it debuts at a perfect few weeks in the art calendar. For the next 2 weeks hundreds of collectors and buyers descend on London for the Frieze Art Fair and the whole host of exhibitions and pop up spaces that come along with it.

Neverland II by Damien Hirst - © Ian Nicholson/PA — Neverland II by Damien Hirst – © Ian Nicholson/PA

After queuing and being penned in for around 30 minutes we finally got inside. With it being dark outside already the bright lights and white walls were overwhelming, I felt like I needed blinkers to stop squinting. Once inside you are greeted with a long corridor off of it are the three principal exhibition spaces, private viewing rooms, an auditorium and a bookshop – which I have to say was my favourite space I could have spent a lot of money.

After trying to match the exhibition descriptions on the guide to the artworks (no labels featured) we explored the first space at the centre of the building, a gallery entitled ‘9 x 9 x 9’. Presenting here is Cerith Wyn Evans with a clinical neon light installation that wraps around this literally cubed room. It felt as if the words had come out of the walls due to the white neon and smooth quality.

Structure & Absence in the South Galleries include Gary Hume’s works which looked like they were dripping off the canvas in Room I with their metallic surfaces popping out from the white smooth walls. Room II features some bits and bobs from Damien Hirst. His Chinese scholars’ rocks and more familiar things like his ‘Neverland’ in room II – a mirrored shelved board filled with pills –think Smarties and disco.

Three smaller galleries, collectively known as the ‘North Galleries’ is where Kitty Kraus’ pieces can be found which are highlight for me. Her light box installations are tranquil and the prisms of light reflect on the blank canvas walls creating cityscape structures that reminded me of Tron.

Staff Prepare For The Opening Of The New White Cube Bermondsey Gallery — light box installations by Kitty Kraus © Oli Scarff

Dinos and Jake Chapman have their two cents worth in the screening room. Can’t say too much about it as, well, you just have to see for yourself. If features Rhys Evans as an angst ridden artist and left us with puzzled faces afterwards.

It’s worth a look to see some of the lesser known contemporary artists on show and for the space itself, no doubt there will be some bigger things to come from this space in future.

“Structure and absence” runs until the 26/11/11
White Cube | Bermondsey Street | 144 —152 Bermondsey Street | London SE1 3TQ
http://www.whitecube.com

CONTEMPORARY ART, REVIEWS

Art Drive – BMW cars turned into artwork

July 31, 2012 Pierrick Senelaer Leave a comment

Whatever some may think about the London 2012 Olympics, it is bringing a lot art and life to the city making it not only the sport capital of the world but very much a cultural hub right now. We have started to enjoy the many exhibitions and pop up art shows part of the London 2012 festival that is running along the Olympics and actually right into September.

We made our first stop at Art Drive and we so glad we did. The NCP Car Park, 35 Great Eastern Street, Shoreditch, London EC2A 3ER which I ignored so many times as I walked past, is now cocooning the BMW Art Car Collection. 17 cars turned into pieces of art. I will never see again that car park with the same eyes.

You have to go back in 1975 to see the first ever BMW Art Car burning some rubber at the famous Le Mans 24-hour race. From there 16 other Art cars followed which all competed in this very race until the current and last one ever painted – The Jeff Koons one, see below for pictures. Some of the artists who got involved in this 35-year long project are Andy Warhol, Alexander Calder, Cesar Manrique or Frank Stella.

But enough about the history, let’s go and see the cars! The settings for this show are completely surreal: the car wash team, based outside of the car park was at it while I was greeted with a big smile by the the Art Drive team and quickly ushered inside the car park and rapidly wafted in a huge lift that can most definitely contain a couple of cars but above all that made me feel right into some sort of action or sci-fi movies like Alien. I was excited now.

The girofar then went off, a strident sound soon followed that smashed the relative silence that had settled during my journey up to the unknown. The door slid open: I had reached the 8th floor and was about to see my first Art Car.

Enjoy the pictures below and leave a comment if you like any of them! Consult this website to read more about the cars, designs and artists that took part in this project

A bit of trivia for you – the BMW Art Car M1 by Andy Warhol was the most successful car on the circuit de la Sarthe, it took sixth place overall in 1979.

The latest and last BMW Art Car by Jeff Koons