He was behind a famous hoax in 2004, where Photoshopped copies of Paris Hilton’s album were distributed in HMV shops.
The same year, he created and distributed fake £10 notes.
This piece was commissioned by Bono when it was a guest editor at The Independent
He has had 6 exhibitions since 2002. These are Existencilism, 2002, LA. Turf War, 2003, London. Barely Legal, LA, 2006. Village Pet Store And Charcoal Grill, 2008, New York. The Cans Festival, 2008 London. Banksy vs Bristol Museum, 2009, Bristol.
The highest ever price for a Banksy work at auction was over £102,000 for his piece “Bombing Middle England”.
He visited New Orleans in August 2008, marking the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. But some of the pieces are now gone. Banksy told Time Out: “In New Orleans I painted on a dilapidated shop in a street littered with abandoned cars and rotting mattresses, then two hours later the piece was gone. It turned out I’d picked the side of a crack house and the proprietor didn’t like the attention.”
He designed the cover of Blur’s Think Tank.
He was nominated for an Oscar for his 2010 documentary Exit Through The Gift Shop.
He illustrated the opening credits to The Simpsons in 2010.
In 2007, a photo purporting to be of Banksy was released.
Belgium, the country where Roa is from, must be a far away from what this artists get to travel to. I remember seeing a few years back the first street art pieces from ROA across London and thinking: what this guy does is quite fresh.
Then, when I heard about that show, I thought it is going to be the same shit: wildlife subjects, 2 colour artwork (black and white) on some wooden panels which can be manipulated by viewers to reveal the inside of the depicted animals.
Guess what? Bang on. However, I noticed that the quality of the paintings is sharper and that the artist uses in a bolder way, the red colour to emphasise the inside of his painted animals.
A friend actually sent me a link to that show and when I said to him, ‘You know what, I am sure I have seen it before’, he replied that accomplished artists have a style of their own, a signature and if people like it, and I am sure you are all like it, why change it. He, like of all us, need to fill his pockets with money so if what he does, sell, then be it.
Point made and agreed. Yes I have seen it before but I would fly to New York right after I finished writing up this post just because seeing ROA’s stuff is always enjoyable and fun.
The show runs until the 2nd May 2015.
Lucky enough to live in New-York and actually planning on checking it that show? We would love if you could share your pics and thoughts about it so get in touch today!
What – “Metazoa”, a solo show by ROA Where – “Jonathan Levine gallery, 529 West 20th Street, Gallery I, New York (USA) When – until the 2nd May 2015
Last time Shepard Fairey had a show in London was five years ago and it was already with Stolen Space. In the meantime, the artist enjoyed a ever growing popularity so crowd are expected to pile up at the preview on the 19th October 2012.
This show is entitled Sound & Vision and will see Shepard Fairey collaborates with Z-Trip to supply the soundtrack to the artwork. We are told that the new works will include mixed media paintings on canvas, works on paper, retired stencils collages, rubylith cuts, and as well as serigraphs on wood, metal and paper.
Producer and DJ, Z-Trip has created a soundtrack that is meant to translate musically Shepard Fairey’s art vision. Z-Trip comments “Shepard does visually what I do musically“. A nice touch from the artist : he provided records from his own collection as well as customised vintage turntables to enable viewer listening. This section of the show is complemented by a display of seventy-two works, which are inspired by the 12 inch LP sleeve cover.
The artist will therefore use both sound and vision to connect with his audience.
Sound & Vision, the exhibition title is taken from the David Bowie song of the same name so we have included the video clip below.
What – Sound & Vision’ By Shepard Fairey
When – 20.10.12 – 04.11.12
Where – Stolen Space, Dray Walk, The Old Truman Brewery | 91 Brick Lane | London E1 6Q
CANAL is pleased to present its show for the summer, an exhibition by Phil Ashcroft, mixing live painting, large scale canvases and screenprints.
Ashcroft will create a new large format painting in the gallery over the course of the exhibition, bringing his studio process directly into CANAL, as well as presenting a new lightbox work inspired by the gallery’s location on the Regent’s Canal at Haggerston, east London.
Ashcroft’s works are influenced by 1980s graffiti, comics, street art and graphics. His paintings are rendered in a bold, graphic style, combining loose, gradient brushwork utilising a limited palette.
Post-apocalyptic, overtly heroic landscapes reference sources as diverse as Japanese Ukiyo-e art, American pop art, Abstract Expressionism, graffiti and Marvel comics. The works draw on the myths of failed civilizations.
Ashcroft also collaborates on live-painting projects in galleries and alternative spaces from street locations to shops. These have included No Soul for Sale , Tate Modern, London (2010); Cans 2 Festival , London (2008); Special Relationship , Scion Space, Los Angeles (2008), Elephant Technique , Village Underground (2006), All The People We Like Are Dead , London (2004), and Graffiti Meets Windows 1 , Hank-Yu Department Store, Osaka (2002).
Click to enlarge
His first monograph, Solar System Parameters , with forward by Paul Hobson, was published by Gamma Proforma in 2013.
Works are held in public and private collections worldwide. Commissions include projects for Aedas Architects, Amnesty International (UK), British Film Institute (Godzilla film poster/dvd cover), Levis, muf architecture, Nike Town, Royal Mail, Sony PSP and Yahoo (UK).
Despite the dodgy weather in what’s supposed to now be spring, some of our favourite artists haven’t been deterred and continue to get up with some excellent work appearing in recent weeks.
No one fits that description more than Art Pie favourite Conor Harrington who added this stunning portrait to the East London streets.
The Summer Season application received many exciting interpretations on the true values of Havana and the final winner was LXOne. See the finished Wall at Rich Mix (or the photo below) from now until August and enter for the final Wall Project to showcase your art between August and October
From LXOne: “I’ve used shapes and symbols that refers to my work and interpreted the brief using colour and movement. Orange is for the sun, red is for the passion and yellow is for the happiness – all characteristics I see in Cuban humanity. The geometrical patterns convey both accurateness but also spontaneity with my use of the arrow. The value of creativity can be seen in the finished product from submission to completing my work and†the whole creative process been something I have hugely enjoyed having the opportunity to do”
Entries for the final wall are submitted by e-mail to visualarts@richmix.org.uk, a selection will be posted on the Havana Club UK and Rich Mix facebook page to invite public feedback.
Entries must be submitted by:
Friday 5th August – with the winning wall design on show from August to October 2011
For further enquiries please contact Manuel Suarez manu@theneonhub.com or 0207 460 5359
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.
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’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
I am sure that some of you will think that these pictures below have been retouched or altered with some software such as Photoshop and I would not blame you for believeing this since these acrylic body paint looks rather real and… creepy some might say.
Meet the artist, Chooo-San, who is a big fan of body painting
From the artist:
“But I guess I was a little sick of everyone making pictures with their computers and wanted to see how far I can go without those technologies such as Photoshop. My works are all done with acrylic paints. They are all painted on skin directly and I don’t use computers or anything to change the picture afterwards.”
Want to see art outside of the commercial galleries? Or maybe like me you have lofty dreams of starting your own art collection. This weekend take a trip to South West London from 25 November to the Wimbledon Art Studios, Winter Open Studios Art Show. The open show sees artists opening up their studio spaces this weekend, giving the public the chance to explore a treasure trove of new works. There’s an eclectic mix by up and coming, as well as established artists, photographers, ceramicists and textile designers.
Community and the artist
By Darryn Eggleton
The Wimbledon Studios aim to provide a spring board for working artists, which couldn’t be apt in today’s dire financial climate. The studios are the largest, single site art studio complex in London and Britain. This fantastic project is not merely about the singular artist and the creative community within, Wimbledon Art Studios aim to give local people the opportunity to view and appreciate contemporary art, whilst building links with the resident artists.
The opening night was bustling with proud parents, artist’s friends and locals. The last open show attracted over 5,000 visitors and I suspect they shall hit they figure or more this year.
On the preview night studio workers were happy to talk about the spaces and I was impressed by the colour map brochure produced for the show. Plenty of friendly guides and artists were on hand when I lost my bearings in the rabbit warren of corridors and stairways, so be warned you may loose yourself but find an interesting artwork in the process!
The entrance, which bridged the two buildings in a temporary structure, displayed some key pieces including Kate Kelleher’s eye catching painting, and a sculpture by Kevin Herlihy who uses found and recycled mediums. There were also some small board works for sale to raise money for the studios upkeep. At £55 a go, I decided to snap up a board byJayson Lilley. Other artists you should stop by at – Darryn Eggleton‘s amazing animal paintings and Alison Pearl‘s delicate and seemingly impossible objects made from paper.
Inside the spaces
As I tottered around with my new art work I explored the studios which are spread over 2 areas. The main Red Studio building, originally a paper warehouse, opened with just 6 artists renting spaces in 1993. Now, the original warehouse consists of over 100 studio spaces and in addition there are now 60 studio spaces in a newly, purpose built ‘Blue Studios’ building, on the same site. On 1st November 2011 an additional 55 brand new studios were opened in a reclaimed section of the warehouse. Now the site has over 200 artist tenants. The close proximity of the studios make it feel homely, it felt like I was stepping into a person’s private space, almost like their bedroom, a definite plus side away from the clinical commercial gallery spaces.
The artist and the studio
Is a studio site like the one in Wimbledon an ideal place for an artist to gain recognition though? And do the resident artists actually like the makeshift space in the built up industrial estate in Wandsworth? I asked Idun Eustace, an resident artist at the Wimbledon site who is displaying her pieces for the show.
Idun has been at the studios since 2007 and first exhibited during the autumn show. Idun lectures in life drawing and oil painting for EAL, Ealing, West London. Her works of semi-abstract still life evoke many influences from the Norwegian landscape where she was born and brought up.
By Alison Pearl
What do you think of the new studio space that opened in November 2011? So how does it compare to other, more formal, settings you’ve shown at? Such as gallery spaces/fairs?
The new space (as a whole) has got a nice feel to it & is much more spacious than the studios in the old Red Studio building – Although my new space has no natural light ,I feel this doesn’t matter so much, as I look upon it as a challenge to see how it changes my work. There are studios with natural light but I chose this one for the space as I want to run life drawing classes from there as well as paint.
Do you feel the studios are successful in terms of building a creative hub for emerging artists and also for artists to sell their work too? Or do the more traditional roots of art fairs and private galleries, like the Affordable Art Fair, work better?
I think it’s a little hit and miss sales wise – sometimes you sell and others not. The good thing about the studios is that they don’t take a commission on sales whereas fairs, such as AAF and other London Galleries take 50 %. It does give merging artists as well as more established artists a great platform to sell their work.
Where do get your ideas for pieces? Whilst travelling around London, or more abstractly?
I draw a lot and source ideas almost everywhere – e.g. If I go in to London on the train (with my sketchbook) I will look out of the window and take a mental picture and draw it immediately, or when I’m on holiday (usually to Norway), I always have my sketchbook (and camera) handy. I also sometimes draw and paint from memory so these may be more abstract – I look on the drawing process this way; if you’re an artist you ought to draw as its part of the process of painting. Painting is really drawing with your brush.
By Idun Eustace
You are trained in many different disciplines, painting, printmaking, life drawing, photography, graphics, illustration & textiles. Do you or would you ever incorporate these into you pieces?
I do use photography as reference only, whether it be a design ref or a colour reference – I have used printmaking in my art but not currently – I do however like the way Munch used print making as reference/addition in his art and have recently been looking into this. I’m quite interested in African tribal art textiles. I have also been toying with the idea of introducing burlap/hessian in my work but at present this is embryonic only. I am looking at the work of artists like Tapies and Sandra Blow for inspiration.
You are quite active on Twitter, do you feel artists have to embrace this more so now? Have you felt the need to use it more?
I feel the use of twitter is essential to reach out to a wider audience and think that one’s got to advertise oneself, no-one else will do it for you and hopefully one’s twitter followers will RT and thus reach more people – so it can only be a good thing. You have to grab opportunities as life is too short.
Idun’s works feature at the open show till 27 November and she is also planning to run classes that will be available to artists at the Studios as well as outsiders, contact her here for more information idun@blueyonder.co.uk. Follow her on Twitter @idunart
The Open Studios Art Show at the Wimbledon Art Studios is open to the public till 27 November Friday 2pm – 10pm
Saturday & Sunday 11am – 6pm. For more information about the show and the artists see click here.
There is no much to say about Jim Lambie‘s work apart from what he does with vinyl tapes rolls is simply amazing and definitely eye catching. Gigiantic and intricated geometric floor designs is what I am talking about here. Each design takes him several weeks to complete. Included below are a few examples.
Last time Shepard Fairey had a show in London was five years ago and it was already with 
