If I tell you “ceramics”, you’d probably look at me, nod politely and forget immediately that I mentioned that word but if I told you “Johnson Tsang’s ceramics”, I’d strongly advise you to listen and more importantly to take a look at his works as it is simply fantastic and will give you a complete new and fresh look at what you can do with ceramics.
Have you ever thought that emotions, movement and speed could be transposed into some ceramic works? Probably not. Ceramics may make you think of pots or something. Well see what you can do if you have Jonhson Tsang’s talent and skills.
The latest NIXON ART MOSH event just happened in Munich and the works exhibited on this occasion again look top quality. See the video they put together about the show.
I had the chance to attend the last NIXON ART MOSH held in London last year and I did not get disappointed but rather amazed. The venue, Rochelle School was one of the best venue I have seen for art shows – set on two levels, airy and large.
Beyond the excellent choice of venues, ART MOSH is all about getting a mix of artists and talents from various medias and they do it rather well – painting, photography, design, sculpture, music and street art, there is something for everyone. Regular artists include names like Dan Baldwin, Jaybo Monk or Faith47
NIXON ART MOSH shows are as eclectic as the bunch of artists and people attending the event. Once night only but what a night. I cannot wait for the next show in London.
I have included a few pics from last year’s ART MOSH in London
Featured artists at ART MOSH LONDON (last year – 25/11/10):
Richie Culver (UK) | Alexander James (UK)| Bose Collins (UK)| Andreas Muller (UK) | Thomas Traum (UK) | Morgan Slade (LA) | Yoskay Yamamoto (LA) | Sophie Stephens (UK) | Andrew Hem (LA) | Faith 47 (South Africa) | Herakut (Germany) | Mark Ward (UK) | Hornhead (UK) | Niall O’Brian (UK) | Tomomi Sayuda (UK) | B Project (UK) | Filtr (UK) | Sawdust (UK) | Neil Ayling (UK) | Yoojin Jung (UK)
On February 16, 1990, at age 31, Keith Haring’s life was cut short due to an AIDS-related illness. He would have been 54 today and as a homage, here are a few words and a tribute to his most iconic pieces of art.
I wonder what Keith Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) would make of the global phenomenon that street art is now, art form very much confined to the street of New York City at the time when he decided to move there in 1978, aged 19.
Having studied commercial art and then Fine Arts, he took a keen interest in graffiti art, Haring would go out there and paste collages of fake New York Post headlines on lamposts or news stands. He explored the likes of SAMO (Jean-Michel Basquiat) or Fab Five Fred (Fred Brathwaite) graffiti art to quickly put in practice his own interpretation of this form of art and would develop his future vocabulary of primitive cartoon-like forms. The Haring’s chalk-drawn “radiant babies” and “barking dogs” were born (see pictures) and woud become familiar sights on the matt black surfaces used to cover the old advertisements in the subways.
These chalk drawings in the subways of New York got Haring in the public eye and he would go on from there to have his first exclusive exhibition in the Tony Shafrazi Gallery which put together a retrospective a few years ago about it – see picture. Willing to reach a larger public, he immersed himself in popular American culture and befriended individials such as Andy Warhol, Madonna or Grace Jones (whom he would body-paint).
Haring was also a keen social activist and as a result of his ever increasing political involvement; he designed a Free South Africa poster in 1985 (see picture) and painting a section of the Berlin Wall in 1986 (see picture). Other works include design for Swatch watches or the Absolut Vodka advertisement (see picture)
Keith Harring’s work are just simply one of the best examples of how consumerism, popular culture and fine art merged in the 1980s.
Recommended readings
Keith Haring: The Authorized Biography by John Gruen (1991) includes interviews with the artist and those closest to him and is an invaluable source for understanding the art and life of Haring.
The early work is illustrated in Art in Transit: The Subway Drawings (1984) and Keith Haring (Shafrazi Gallery, 1982). An enlightening interview by David Sheff appeared in Rolling Stone (August 10, 1989).
Elizabeth Aubert directed an insightful video entitled Drawing the Line: A Portrait of Keith Haring (Biografilm, 1989).
Later an attempt was made to place Haring within a broader art historical context in Keith Haring, edited by Germano Celant (1992). □
‘So It Goes…’ features new work from the artist’s notorious and much sought after Pulp Fiction series, which explores the porous boundary between reality and fiction. The duo have created an exclusive collection of original hand painted Pulp Fiction paperbacks, original canvas works and hand painted limited editions that reflect their interest in how our understanding of the world is formed by the narratives we tell about it.
Following a series of sell out exhibitions from Los Angeles to Sydney, these internationally acclaimed artists are back in London with not only a new body of work, but a new cause – the foundation on an NGO in association with the artists’ friends and collaborators Pussy Riot. The new show will combine reality and fiction with an installation detailing their experiences in ‘The Jungle’ refugee camp in Calais. Hang-Up will be releasing a third limited edition charity print to raise further funds to build additional shelters when they return to The Jungle with Pussy Riot in December.
WHAT – ‘SO it goes’ by The Connor Brothers WHERE – Hang Up gallery, 81 Stoke Newington Road, Stoke Newington, London N16 8AD WHEN – 13 NOV – 6 DEC 2015
Team Robbo and his crew still seem bitter and have painted over another one of Banksy’s pieces in Camden. This guerilla started when Banksy painted over one of Robbo’s historical throwups – see earlier post here. Team Robbo went back to Regent Street Canal and modified the piece which now seems to imply that Banksy is fishing for ‘street cred’.
One thing to notice in all this is the two different approaches – Banksy paints over while Team Robbo ‘alter’ to suit their means. This is probably the only interesting and entertaining aspect of that whole story because to be honest, there is no need for such non-respect.
I had never heard about the C4RD (Centre for Recent Drawing) before and was happily surprised to find out that Hand Joy, a group show of contemporary artists was actually happening a throw stone away from where I live in Highbury & Islington – art on your doorstep that is. Continue reading Hand Joy group show at C4RD: eroticism in Islington→
We managed to get a look at the latest show at Black Rat Projects called “Letters From America” where works from Ron English, TrustoCorp, Risk and Saber are on display. Pictures of the artworks below.
As soon as you step into the gallery, you are greeted by the “Big Boy”,an original 7 foot or so statue customized by the Los Angeles graffiti writer RISK Big Boy is a brand of meal kits for kids which infamously got in turnmoil when some of their products were tested positive for Listeria contamination back in 2009, but instead of a burger Big Boy holds a spray paint can which will remind visitors that they are about to see artworks from street artists.
Very quickly, another piece from RISK acts as a magnet for your eyes and illuminates the whole room. A graffiti made of neons. Sublime. What a piece to be made when you know how difficult neon making can be. Looking on the ‘Big Boy’ quietly from the back of the room, are pop surrealist painter Ron English’s colourful pigs that will make smile even the hardcore vegetarian out there. Just above them, a series of photographs by the same artist all very loyal to the artist’s style – pop surrealism. The “Telegrinnies” series have to be our favorites one, you will have figured out that Ron English’s work here is base on the “Teletubbies”.
Slightly hidden in a corner of the gallery, we enjoyed reading and laughing at TrustoCorp small scale signs
This show runs until the 18th June 2012 and is linked to another project that launched on June 30 at the London Pleasure Gardens where outdoor installations can be seen by the same artist until december 2013. Read the article about it on Arrested Motion website.
Big Boy by RISK (left) | Pigs by Ron English(right)
Neons by Risk (left) | Spray paint and acrylics by Risk (right)
We managed to get a look at the latest show at 
