We could not help but snapping away the multitude Faile tags we came across during our last trip to Dublin.
Star wars as greek statues
We all went to a museum one day (well I hope you did, if not you guys are missing out!) which has a Classical art collection often consisting of a series of nude hunks sculptures.
In the Classical period there was a revolution in Greek statuary, usually associated with the introduction of democracy and the end of the aristocratic culture associated with the kouroi. The Classical period saw changes in the style and function of sculpture. Poses became more naturalistic (see the Charioteer of Delphi for an example of the transition to more naturalistic sculpture), and the technical skill of Greek sculptors in depicting the human form in a variety of poses greatly increased.
But enough of Greek sculptures in their “Classical” sense, let’s look at the series of digital manipulations by French artist Travis Durden adds a Star Wars dimension to it.
Star Wars, for those who don’t know it (…) is an American epic space opera franchise, centered on a film series created by George Lucas.
I do not know for you guys but the chap is pretty gifted at sculpture right? Well it may be but these works will not prove it because these are a series of images manipulated using Photoshop, the popular image editing software.
Durden reimagines Darth Vader, Boba Fett, Yoda, General Grevious and a Storm Trooper as “Darth Resurrection,” “Gladiator Boba,” Angel Yodea,” “General Niobides” and “Storm Reader.”
About the artist
Travis Durden is a pseudonym, as the Parisian artist behind the project would prefer his art be the center of attention, not himself. Fascinated by the construction of myths & idols, he interrogates how we, as humans, determine what will be raised to popular culture or elevated to divine cult, and how history has influenced us in making this choice.
Blu and Ericailcane collaboration in Bologna
Artists Blu and Ericailcane joined forces in Bologna and have produced a rather mighty mural in Bologna, Italy. Ericailcane got in charge of the animals while Blu put up the cage and other elements.
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Pop up at l’Escargot in Soho London, edition 1
Last week first edition of our pop up at l’Escargot was a success.
Although we ended up in the Salon Vert instead of The Library, we managed to play with the existing layout (we cannot make new holes or adjustment in this venue – fair enough when you see how sumptuous the venue is) and displayed a very nice set of paintings.
Now, we have informed that we will not have the room or any other one until Next year as November and December are busy months for l’Escargot with loads of corporate events happening. We will meet again with the venue by the end of the year to discuss options for 2017.
We would like to thank you for your interest and we will keep you in the loop for this one and about any other pop up events or show we get involved with
Happy Halloween!
PS: we included a few pictures of the night!
Ludo, a street artist by nature
LUDO is a French Street Artist who is enjoying enjoyed a very successful first solo show in Zurich at the Starkat Gallery.
LUDO’s style is very particular and his pieces always depict ominous and imaginary plants which always seem to want to grab you as you walk past them. His street art series is actually called Nature’s Revenge which he has been focusing on for the past two years or so. A way perhaps to warn you all about the irreversible force of Dame Nature.
The show is on until the 7/05/2011
LUDO took the opportunity while in Zurich to splash a few of his mighty plants. Photo © Roman @ Starkat Gallery
Busk Bleach Zadok at Pure Evil gallery
Last time I went to Pure Evil gallery I was blown away by the exhibit I saw from ROA (read post here) as well as the gallery itself and the way it was used: clever and original display of the artwork and above all fresh works from the artist himself on the walls – really like this approach where you feel the gallery is owned by the artist so once again, well done to Charles at Pure Evil.
Even more so when you learn that all the works I was looking at that day has been created just for that show. Continue reading Busk Bleach Zadok at Pure Evil gallery
Warhol icons at Halcyon gallery
Halcyon Gallery presents its very first exhibition devoted entirely to the works of Andy Warhol. With over one hundred pieces on display, including graphics, portfolios and original works on paper and canvas, WARHOL ICONS is an exploration of the legendary Pop Art icon’s artistic ingenuity and importance.
Most Warhol iconic works are in the show
The exhibition spans Warhol’s iconic career from his early illustrative works of the 1950s, through Pop Art’s 1960s heyday, until his untimely death in 1987 – addressing the artist’s exploration of every facet of modern life, from consumerism and commissions to Communist politics.
Amongst portraits of iconic figures and celebrity friends such as screen siren Ingrid Bergmanand champion heavyweight boxer Muhammad Ali, WARHOL ICONS includes an original self-portrait – Self Portrait in Fright Wig, a striking collage work on paper which celebrates the artist’s enduring legacy and mastery of his brand.
Displayed according to Warhol’s original 1962 brief as to simulate cans stacked along supermarket shelves, the instantly-recognisable packaging present in the Campbell’s Soup I portfolio exemplifies Warhol’s fascination with commercial culture, the mainstream and mass production. In the same room, an original Campbell’s Soup Box: Chicken Soup is an interesting development – commissioned following the success of the former portfolio, the soup boxes further demonstrate a revolutionary period in art and culture where the status of everyday consumer items was elevated.
Along with Campbell’s Soup I, the exhibition features five of Warhol’s most celebrated portfolios of 10, including Cowboys and Indians and Endangered Species – the former deriving from the treasure trove of archival photographs, postcards and images of Native American artefacts that the artist collected throughout his life whilst the latter is a nod to Warhol’s ongoing interest in conservation and the environment.
Rarely seen works
WARHOL ICONS also features the rarely-seen Anatom (Rado Watches) – produced just a few months before his death and one of his last works ever created. The work is one of only three canvases created by Warhol depicting the iconic Rado DiaStar ‘Anatom’ watch. Rado Switzerland – a watch brand renowned for its sleek, luxury timepieces – commissioned the artist to produce the series of paintings in conjunction with their seventieth anniversary in 1987.
WARHOL ICONS offers an engaging insight into the life and works of a cultural icon. Through Warhol’s discerning eye, the exhibition reveals a layered social and cultural commentary underpinned by the visual art movement, Pop Art.
Animated 3D gifs by Nick Thomm
Last Thursday night, Nick Thomm’s latests solo exhibition, Tropic Glows, opened.
Thomm took over the entire two-story space, transforming the basement into a fully immersive screening room, in which he housed his intricate 3D video works, while upstairs played host to both the crowds and a combination of Thomm’s mixed media works on fluro Plexiglass, holographic skate decks and neon pieces.
We included below 3 animated GIF works by the artist. We like them very much. Do you?
Exhibition runs until November 18th @ Castle Fitzjohns Gallery. 98 Orchard St, Lower East Side, New York (Open 7 Days, 12PM-7PM).
The Memory Industry
“One of the reasons I source mainly from newspaper, television and internet imagery is because the way we interact with these media shapes so many of our opinions about the world around us. Most of what I know about the world has been drawn in a fairly disjointed and fragmentary fashion from this huge, seemingly ever present sea of information.
The sheer amount of available knowledge is so overwhelming that I end up feeling always frustrated that I know nothing about anything. Not knowing what I should be spending my time getting to know, I end up with a constant sense of only ever partially understanding even the most important current and historical events.
I am impelled by a great fascination but end up mostly confused about which direction to allow my fascination to lead me in the time I have. Although partial understanding can be frustrating and isolating, it does carry its own qualities. As events become jumbled and confused in our minds a kind of magical haze is thrown over everything. We start to create our own narratives, filling in the gaps between what we pick up from various sources with any number of unreliable memories and opinions.” Darren Nixon
Darren’s central theme of ‘not knowing’ brings up issues of ‘not remembering’ and when applied on a global scale, this “magical haze” created by the fragmented reality of media overload, threatens our formation of collective memories; memories we experience as part of a culture and a society, memories which connect our identity to the cultural experience of a larger social group.
In art since 1900, Benjamin Buchloh makes this encouraging statement in the final roundtable discussion, “The Predicament of Contemporary Art”: “…the effort to retain or to reconstruct the capacity to remember, to think historically, is one of the few acts that can oppose the almost totalitarian implementation of the universal laws of consumption…”
However, he concludes with this condemnation, “…to deliver the aesthetic capacity to construct memory images to the voracious demands of an apparatus that entirely lacks the ability to remember and to reflect historically, and to do so in the form of resuscitated myth, is an almost guaranteed route to success in the present art world, especially with its newly added wing of “the memory industry”. Chilling.
Read more of my interview with Darren Nixon, Joining a Conversation Well Underway.