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We are surrounded by coded communications. The artists of This ‘Me’ of Mine present an interesting insight into the difference gender makes to interacting with these coded communications. Curiously, I became aware of this difference by posting snippets, sometimes almost cryptic messages, from some of the artists’ bios on Twitter. A few weeks ago I made these four tweets:
11 Sept 2012
@HarrisonHayley“a lover of objects and stories, not necessarily…historical sense but the bits that are not said. ”
12 Sept 2012
‘a set of anecdotes where meaning is levelled by celebrating the beautiful and grotesque,’ Mel Titmuss on her work
13 Sept 2012
@Captainpye on her work, ‘…a complex mixture of scientific observation and a girlish enthusiasm…’ @ThisMeofMine
14 Sept 2012
‘fascination w/passage of time…contrast between permanence of objects & fragility of human existence’ @katemurdochart
At the time, I remarked that when read together they presented a compelling view of the female point of view in art. Arguably so, yes. But then I realised something more, each of the artists in This ‘Me’ of Mine are working with, perhaps struggling with, this coded communication and there is a fascinating difference between the way the women artists explore this and the way the male artists explore it. The women speak of emptying out of memories, permanence of objects, invisible stories of objects, things left unsaid, equalizing meaning through comparison of opposites, fascination, obsession, fictions and mythologies, voyeurism, vulnerability and body language. The men speak of the limits of communicating meaning, uniforms and meaning, surprise and fear, answers just out of reach, hiding complexities within and stimulus triggering a response.
Before I go further, I want to point out there are many commonalities in the female and male views, such as removing things from context to challenge meaning, the insecurities of home, the influence of space, experience and the passage of time. So while I am not trying to create a gender-biased argument here, I was struck by the differences nonetheless.
Untitled 30-5-11 (c)2011 Darren Nixon
It could be said the struggle to self-identify is the struggle to decipher coded communication. The way we go about that as males and females is indicative in the topics of importance to each group of artists. What does this say about us? Little girls are taught to believe in fairy-tales, romance and dream-come-true scenarios, encouraged to believe in the perfection of a future life, whether that is with Mr Right or more recently that we can do and have it all. Little boys are taught to believe in the importance of belonging to groups and the status which comes with that belonging, hiding their emotions, fears and all visible signs of weakness, encouraged to become providers and bread-winners. Both sexes have been taught to be competitive, in ways suitable to their sex. But if these things are to be challenged, is it really through gender wars? Wouldn’t it be more productive to realize the truth that living is hard no matter what your personal circumstances, there are no guaranteed outcomes and all you can do is the best you can in any given situation. Would prejudice and utopias disappear if we taught those simple realities to our children?
The 2014 edition of the football World Cup has now been on for almost a week and it has already been labelled as the better edition of the last 20 years.
While most of us have been enjoying great goals from the safety of our couch, brazilian street artists have taken their art to the city walls of Brazil, mainly Rio De Janeiro and Sao Paulo to remind us of the dark side of the Great game as they put it.
Artist: Paulo Ito Where: Sao Paulo
The mural shows a starving, crying child with only a football on his dinner plate serves to highlight the vast expense of hosting the World Cup when the money for food, schools and hospitals is needed so much.
“There is so much wrong in Brazil that it is difficult to know where to start,” Ito said. It seems the beautiful game has a dark side.” says Paul Ito
FIFA is not the most welcome and loads of artists ask the football association to go. Cranio is one if them it would seem. One of his mural shows a suited man throwing a sack labelled “public money” down the toilet.
Artist: B.Shanti from the Captain Borderline crew What: Anti Copa Mural Project organized by Colorrevolution and Amnesty International Where: Rio de Jainero (Brazil) Dedicated to all brasilians who lost their home during the brutal eviction.
But not everything is negative, take a look at this street view project from Google showing you panoramic views of (happy) street art from Rio De Janeiro and Sao Paulo amongst others.
We have come across this meaningful street art installation by Promesto and we like it so we talked to the artist and asked him to tell us a bit more about it.
Make sure to check out the video!
ART-PIE: What is “Alive Heart” all about? Promesto: This installation is built to provoke and catch the reaction of the people as they pass by the broken-hearted mannequin and to intervene in the daily life of broken hearts and reminds them: no matter how broken your heart is now – tomorrow is another day!
A-P: How are people reacting to it? P: People responded variously ‘heartbreak’ as a feeling of heaviness, emptiness, grief, sadness, confusion and even jealousy all at once. Our installation art on London’s famous Brick Lane made quite a few people ponder.
Some of the best quotes we got: “it’s a bit “scary-tragic but true”
“My heart was broken once. It really hurt and I’m glad it’s over.”
“I still remember that B!$%H or BA%$!RD”
It is such a shame that Nathan Sawaya’s new show is in New York and not in London as his art is truly fascinating and is using LEGOS bricks. I have a particular and secret love for those bricks which always take me back to sweet and happy childhood memories and playful moments. Continue reading Nathan Sawaya: the art of the LEGO brick→
Voina, a russian art collective, is making people to talk about them again. They have done crazy things in the past such as hurling live cats at McDonalds workers, engaging in a full-on orgy in a state museum, and shoplifting a raw chicken from a store by hiding it in one member’s vagina!
Their members got in all sort of problems of course with some being put in jail but they are now recognized by the establishment, VOINA has indeed just received one of the highest honors for contemporary art in their country Russia.
Dick in FSB Captivity is why they got this award. The artwork is a 210-foot outline of a penis on a drawbridge facing the the headquarters of the state security services, yes the KGB. When the drawbridge raises, the penis appeared to become erect – genius.
Bansky takes a keen interest in VOINA and gave a large amount of cash earlier this year to get two members of the collective out of custody.
I must admit when I heard that this crew, originally from France, were heading down under I completely geeked out.
We have been big fans of DMV, seeing pieces from them go up in Paris, Barcelona and their epic wall at London’s Meeting Of Styles.
Even though the show at Rtist gallery is a great way to see each artists individual style, the true abilities of this crew shine when they collaborate on big walls.
It seems that everything came together for them here in Melbourne, the weather was great and the wall they were given was in China Town a unique and oddly appropriate setting.
We have recently partnered with ArtiLink, a young business who has created a social network dedicated to artists from all kind of artistic fields, creative professionals or cultural structures. Their website offers them one more visibility solution for free and it is also possible to buy a premium account to increase his visibility. Artists can put all the medium they want on their profiles and their actualities, and follow the people or structures they like to be informed of their projects.
From Charlotte Canario, artistic creation – “Our goal is to create links between arts, people and their different activities, that is why we organize meetings each month in Lyon since a year and a half where people can gather them, bring their books and share about their projects, in a convivial way !”
The meeting begins usually at 19 pm and ends around 23 pm. The first part of the meeting is for networking, then a second part is dedicated to a showcases, where 5 or 6 people (artists, associations, musicians…etc.) come to present their work to the gathering. It can take the form of a concert, a performance, a PowerPoint presentation, a dance show… We try to mix as most as possible the fields of intervention!
The first ArtLinki meet up of 2013 is this Thursday 21st February and is taking place at StrongRooms and what a program they have put together!
– ACME TV : Company of The Year Acme is an independent production company
– AND NOW WEE : Fashion Design Brand which draws it’s inspiration from the rich cultural heritage of East London.
– CYRUS MAHBOUBIAN is a London-based photographer working in analogue materials.
– MARK : graffiti artist for 26 years now and have life-long experience painting graffiti murals in the United Kingdom and abroad.
– Live Art by Street Artists from LSD Magazine
– KOMA JAZZ : Dj live set all Night long
WHERE – STRONGROOMS | 120-124 Curtain Road Shoreditch London EC2A 3SQ. WHEN – 21st February 2103 | 6 to 11pm
Warhol, just the name conjures up an instant catalogue of artworks/images that transcend generations – the Campbell’s Soup tins, the Jackie Kennedy prints – and define the pop art movement.
This exhibition gives viewers a glimpse into something other than the primary colours and consumerism images of Andy Warhol. Proud Chelsea is exhibiting a photographic memoir of a year at the Factory – Warhols working world of creativity and notoriety. The images were taken by David McCabe who was a rising star on the New York photography scene during the 60s, he was contacted by Warhol and asked to collaborate with him in documenting life at the Factory between 1964 and 1965.
McCabe was asked to conform to two conditions by Warhol: that he didn’t use a flash and that he was someone who would fit in; David became part of the Factory’s entourage and took over 2,500 photographs at the Factory and other locations around New York.
This is McCabe’s first UK exhibition and highlights this world that Warhol created the exhibition features snap shots of other artists Warhol knew, such as Salvador Dali. In one image Dali is seen to be explaining one of his paintings to Warhol, almost in a teacher/professor like manor.
This small display at Proud Chelsea of McCabe’s photographs are a peek into Warhol’s world and the stars of the Factory, one of these was Edie Sedgwick, for whom this display is for; commemorating the 40th anniversary of her death. She features across many of the images and her contemporary look could be straight out of a bar in Chelsea today.
One striking image for me is Philip Johnson’s Glasshouse1964/5 something about the angle, the glass and space that perhaps say a lot about Warhol and the world he was cultivating, his look of almost a surveying nature. It also reminded me of a clothing advert – the slick, clean cut look and serniness of the image – it could almost be for Burberry.
The images still feel modern and some are more candid than others, such as one featuring Edie, Chuck Wein and Warhol at a party at the Empire State building in1965, which could almost be a Facebook picture, the three of them are huddled in close, looking up at the camera.
The display features images that Warhol decided did not portray him in a light he was keen to cultivate and they were put away by McCabe and left. Some of these unique photographs have been untouched or unprinted, for nearly 40 years so its well worth a look.
Downstairs are some of Proud’s other images by terry ONiel and others. My favoruites is a shot of the Rolling Stones with paige boy hair cuts from 1963, an open shirted Mick Jagger striking a pose for an image entitled ‘Mick’s Lips’ and the sultry Marianne Faithfull in knee high socks and Mary Janes. All of the images no matter what the year still look modern, with looks straight out of today’s catwalks.
The exhibition opens today at Proud Chelsea and runs till the 4th December Mon, Tue, Thu – Sun 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM; Wed 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM.
We have recently partnered with 
McCabe was asked to conform to two conditions by Warhol: that he didn’t use a flash and that he was someone who would fit in; David became part of the Factory’s entourage and took over 2,500 photographs at the Factory and other locations around New York.