This is the movie everybody is talking about right now and whoever is behind the promotion of it is just very clever.
We are at the Sundance Film Festival last month in the United States. No mention at all about the movie in the official programme but rather a very late announcement a few days before the start of the festival and there you had it: speculation and expectation leading to the sort of buzz that makes people queuing up hours before the screening.
I expect the same level of interest when Exit through the gift shop comes out here in Europe on the 5th March. Let’s not forget that Banksy’s show last year at the Bristol Museum attracted more than 300,000 visitors.
Should anyone have thought that at last Banksy’s identity would be revealed, ditch that idea, this is not what that movie is about at all. Banksy can only been seen from behind and in shadow and his voice is digitally altered. Who would give up his identity when it precisely what is making some of his artworks fetch the £200,000 + mark, come on.
“I guess my ambition was to make a film that would do for graffiti art what ‘The Karate Kid’ did for martial arts — a film that would get every schoolkid in the world picking up a spray can and having a go,” Banksy said of his first film earlier this month at Berlin Film Festival.
Beyond being some sort of graffiti ambassador, I believe Exit through The Gift Shop deals with a much more interesting issue: How do we assess or evaluate Art and eventually like it? Why Street Artwork is now selling as much in terms of value than more classical type of Art?
With actor Rhys Ifans as narrator, he allowed Thierry Guetta to film him while ‘at work’. To make it short (a post about Thierry Guetta is coming up soon) he is the cousin of the artist Invader, a French guerrilla artist who sticks mosaics upon walls and buildings inspired by the video game Space Invaders. Guetta filmed his cousin’s artwork as well as other artists and was thus sucked into the street art world which led him to meet Banksy.
The London premiere of ‘Exit Through the Gift Shop’ is happening right now as I am writing this post around Leak Street tunnel so if like me you did not get an invite, you might as well watch the trailer below
On our way to the Business Centre, where the London Art fair takes place, we could not help but speculating about what we would see and remembered all the wonders we saw in the past years.
A quick ushering through by the fair staff and we were in. Thursday evening is a good day to go at the fair as you are sure to find on your path some waiting staff eagerly willing to hand you over free bottles of beers.
We thought we’ll go around the ground floor as well as the first floor today where you normally find the “mammoths”. By this I mean the heavy-weight art galleries which mainly deal “fine art”. As we were hopping from one booth to the other, it was becoming obvious to our eyes: abstract art we were seeing was awesome and stood out from almost anything else.
We have included below the best pieces we thought we saw.
I just love the concept and even more the outcome: a unique series of prints now available to purchase at Prescription Art
8-bitscapes is a collaboration between designer Jamie Sneddon and photographer Kevin Rozario-Johnson. The concept is simple: they use well-known classic video game characters such as pac-man or invaders and intricate them into real-life scenarios. The results is just ace. Continue reading 8-bitscapes prints now available: want one, defo.→
The much hyped Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition opens at the National Gallery from today with a seven room exhibition. The display is ideal for those who adore the technicality of the line and the workings of an artist , with many drawings and paintings by Leonardo and his pupils on display.
Its build up has been felt for many months, ever since its advance booking opened in May 2011 – a long seven months before its actual opening day.
With its future opening date released then came the capped visitor numbers announcement, with the gallery saying it would restrict visitors due to an, ‘unprecedented demand’. Today (9 November) The Evening Standard has reported how the tickets have sold out until mid-December. The pressure for this display to deliver to its global audience is immense.
The exhibition brings together an impressive collection of international loans never before seen in the UK, from the Queen, America, Poland, France, Scotland and from Art Fund acquisitions.
One difference with this exhibition from others is it the first to be dedicated to Leonardo’s aims and techniques as a painter. Don’t expect reams of glorious huge paintings, though there are a few pretty ladies, curly haired men and angels.
The whole display focuses on Leonardo as an artist, his technical skills and his teaching skills, showing how his works were often finished or copied by his pupils, and in some cases edited. In particular it concentrates on the work he produced as court painter to Duke Lodovico Sforza, in Milan in the late 1480s and 1490s.
As well as finished pieces, each room is peppered with Leonardo’s preparatory and experimental sketches.
The final part of the exhibition, a few mintues walk away in the Sunley Room features a near-contemporary, full-scale copy of Leonardo’s famous ‘Last Supper’, on loan from the Royal Academy. Seen alongside all the surviving preparatory drawings made by Leonardo for the ‘Last Supper’ it makes for an interesting viewing, but seems rather ‘tagged’ on to the exhibition.
Pieces to stop by:
The Musician (1486-7) Room 1 – An unfinished portrait demonstrating Leonardo’s skill in positioning of the face creating a life like portrait with depth.
Portrait of Bianca Maria Sforza (1493) Room 2 – Get your fill of opulence with this lavish picture showing a traditional Milanese style dress, with Leonardo’s profile technique on full view.
The Lady with an Ermine (1498-90) Room 2 – This piece is centre stage of the room and shows off Leonardo’s portraiture and colour skills. The lady almost leaps out of the canvas due to her 3/4 turned pose and the black back background, giving her a 3D quality that soon become sort after by Leonardo’s pupils.
Studies of the Nervous System (1485-8) and Studies of the Human Skull (1489) Room 3 – This is one of many anatomical studies in this room, and they took my breath away. He’s used hints of shadow and light to depict tiny features of the human body. The skull looks perfect in minature form and these observations were no doubt the ground work for his future paintings, making figures seem as real as possible. It astounds me how these delicate sketches are over 500 years old.
The Virgin of the Rocks (1493) Louvre and Virgin of the Rocks (1491/2-9 and 1506-9) National Gallery Room 4 – These pieces are obviously the focal point for this room and essentially a key point for the exhibition. They are on show together for the first time and are intended to show Leonardo’s difference in style and views of painting and art. The earlier piece is very rich in colour and could easily fit into a church altar piece. The second is restrictive in its colour palette and the figures are more sculptural with a porcelain quality.
The Burlington Cartoon ( 1499-1500) Room 6 – This lively large piece in charcoal seems to move as you move around it. The unfinished aspect of the piece almost makes it work more, it stands out in this room. The figures are fluid and contemporary, it’s a break away and step up from Leonardo’s meticulous anatomical studies.
Room 7 in the Sunley room has a handy time line of Leonardo’s artistic career, with significant events and works. This would of been suited to have at the beginning of the exhibition, putting this display into context even more, especially for those less familiar with his pieces. The room feels tagged on, an afterthought. It’s interesting to see the workings that may have gone into this work, and then the copy of the Last Supper is astonishing to see in its grand scale.
Head along to this exhibition for a peek into Leonardo Da Vinci’s undoubted skill as a technical drawer and creater of astonishing life like works, which capture humanity and idealised beauty in all its forms. He perhaps saw himself as a creator and observer of humanity, what’s key from the exhibition is that he was always striving for improving his skills and thankfully we get to see these still today in this exhibition.
‘If the painter wishes to see beauties that enamour him, he is the master of their production, and if he wishes to see monsterous things.. he is their lord and god.’
The exhibition is open now: 09 Nov 2011 – 05 Feb 2012 Mon – Thu, Sat, Sun 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM; Fri 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM Closed Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, Christmas Day.
We have met with Paul Collis, a talented mixed medias artist, who accepted to answer a few questions for us. Here is the interview.
ART-PIE: Tell us about yourself in a few words?
Paul Collis: I’m a graphic designer/artist with a love for street art and all the mystery that goes with it, my art is created by mixing hand drawn painted textures images than manipulating them digitally
A-P: What is your process when making art?
P C: I like to try and make the images as ‘real’ as possible so you can still see all the spray effects and drips and happy mistakes, I do not class my self as a ‘digital’ artist in the true sense of the term with the amazing rendered digital stuff that is out there. I just use the mac as another medium to produce the effect I want and if I cant get the effect painting.
There is still time to go and see the Art For Heart’s Sake – Charity Auction in aid of Kids Company which runs until the 17th February 2012. Art For Heart’s Sake is a social enterprise that seeks to raise awareness and encourage charitable donation through creative engagement.
Some of the noticeable work on auction is ‘Margarita’ by Carne Griffiths. The artwork has been specially created for the exhibition, and is painted in tea and ink onto 540gsm watercolour paper, yes tea!
Other donated works includes artwork from David Spiller, Adam Bridgland, Charlotte Cory, Zoe Mendelson, Inject Love – Brusse and Hanse Cora, and will also feature 100 photographic prints all available to buy chosen from an amazing 5400 submitted works in the hipstamatic sponsored competition
Here is our second entry for the Noise Intercepted project, a global art project curated by Labspace Studio (a creative agency & art house in Toronto, Canada). Noise Intercepted is a series of ten experience-activated noise challenges that prompt participants to listen, observe and interact with their urban soundscape in new and unlikely ways.
Noise challenge #2: The little things
“This week spend some time paying attention to the little things… the sounds that you tend to ignore and the seemingly insignificant noises that you take for granted. You have 1 week to listen, identify and select one “insignificant” sound and transform it into something “significant.”
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Water is all around us but often forgotten, we may see it but not necessarily hear it or listen to it but yet it can take all sorts of sound shapes or noises.
Here are four of them, from the subtle to the fierce…
I hope I will not come across as sexist but ink on girls does work for me.
Ok these girls below as most probably as beautiful as their tattoos, I’ll give you that. Damn there is a car on that pic and a half naked girl, that’s it I’ll be called ‘sexist’ but on a pure aesthetic point of view, I think this is stunning.
Scream is proud to present the third solo exhibition with fine artist Bruce French. “Absence of Light” is a sequel to his 2008 solo show and will feature his signature fine line drawings, translated into painting, sculpture and limited edition screen prints. The exhibition will be launched on 26 May with an exclusive performance piece at Scream, choreographed and performed by Vanessa Fenton of the Royal Ballet, and sung by Lynne Jackman of rock band St. Jude. Titled ‘And I always will’, this will be the first collaboration between the artist, dancer and chanteuse, and will be performed in ‘First Drafts’ on 26th April at the Royal Opera House.
With the new body of work, French embraces modern technologies, and although each image is drawn from life and inspired by the people and events he observes, he uses his iPhone and iPad to maintain the visual diaries that form the basis of his oeuvre. His observations are translated into faceless figurative drawings, emotionally charged yet androgynous and anonymous. Bruce begins by creating an image in layers on his iPad. By drawing directly onto the pad with his fingers he is able to experiment with line, form and colour, before printing on Perspex or translating the image to the more traditional medium of oil on canvas. Although Bruce’s paintings are essentially figurative, they possess a bold, linear aesthetic. He is passionate about using the latest technology as a tool for artistic purposes, extending to a sculpture created on the iPad and realized using the latest electroluminescent light technology. The images do not necessarily represent a specific individual, but act as an emotional journal of characters who cross his path from day to day. By stripping away distinguishing features, Bruce creates powerful linear images.
The much hyped Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition opens at the 
There is still time to go and see the Art For Heart’s Sake – Charity Auction in aid of Kids Company which runs until the 17th February 2012. Art For Heart’s Sake is a social enterprise that seeks to raise awareness and encourage charitable donation through creative engagement.
