Ben Eine’s ‘Tenderloin’ A-Z showcase

September 19, 2013 Pierrick Senelaer

When I first read about this event from my inbox, I must admit I got quite excited as Ben Eine and his work are exciting. If you love colours, letters and typography, you will appreciate this artist’s work.

“The venue will be announced just before the show and via Nelly Duff’s social medias”. This was enough to convince me that we were on something good.

I was wrong. What the show had to offer was a series of pieces with the whole alphabet broken down in a multitude of versions, different colours, not coloured at all, this sort of things. It did not take me long to go round the whole venue to have seen it all. I actually must more enjoyed the old graffiti and tags spread all around the venue from old jams or other shows.

I have not mentioned the launch of of ‘The World Atlas of Street Art & Graffiti by Dr Rafael Schacter that happened that night too just because, let’s be honest, the hype around Ben Eine did a good job by bringing people in and to get the copies of the book flying off the shelf…

We took a few pics anyway.

PREVIEW

Team Robbo calling at Signal gallery

March 23, 2011 Pierrick Senelaer

Already a legend within the international graffiti community, London’s ‘King Robbo’ will soon lead his entire UK crew (known to the world as ‘Team Robbo’) into Signal Gallery for their first gallery show of the year.

Team Robbo is an intentionally amorphous and anonymous graffiti crew, which has now grown into The Team Robbo Network. Its presence stretches across the world, overseas members working in collaboration with their UK counterparts.

Team Robbo UK will be represented in this show by core crew members: ROBBO, CHOCI-ROC, DOZE, FUEL, PRIME and P.I.C. – some of whom have worked together as a crew for around 25 years!

They will be supported by the artist known as ‘Pranksky’, who provides coverage of Team Robbo’s continuing war with street artists via his media organization, Prank Sky Media.

Several members of Team Robbo are already well-known to members of the street art/ graffiti community and to art collectors alike. This stemmed from several very successful shows last year, including Robbo’s solo show at The Pure Evil Gallery plus Fuel & Prime’s work in ‘The Architects’ Group Show at The Atom Rooms in London. Prime’s controversial piece ‘The Age of Shiva’ was widely publicised when it appeared again last year in Pictures on Walls’ show – ‘Marks and Stencils’ before Christmas.

The crew’s new show, ‘The Sell-Out Tour’ (which can be interpreted in a variety of ways), will be the first time that Team Robbo UK have exhibited in a gallery together.

It will showcase an impressive variety of their work: prints, canvases, sculpture and photographic work. The photographs trace Team Robbo’s joint output, (both legal and illegal) over the years. They will be shown alongside new solo work where crew members push forward the graffiti genre and develop their own work in highly divergent and novel artistic directions. The show is expected to tour the world after the Signal Gallery launch.

The Sell-Out Tour will be supported by work by the artist Pranksky. His work is described as hybrid art (merging art, photography and graffiti) providing a commentary on the ongoing art feud between street artists and graffiti writers that has received considerable media attention.

The show offers a rare chance to both view and purchase original new works and prints by this notorious crew. All work shown is for sale.

Words by Signal gallery

When
7th April: Private View and Press.
8th April: Writer’s night (By invitation only).
8th April – 7th May: open to public.

Where 32 Paul Street | Hoxton, London, EC2A 4LB.
www.signalgallery.com

CONTEMPORARY ART, REVIEWS

Dan Baldwin at Signal gallery: colours, loads of them

August 24, 2010 Pierrick Senelaer

I was meant to post up the pictures from Dan Baldwin’s work at Signal, his first solo show with the gallery which happened last month.

I have inserted below what Signal says about the artist – Dan Baldwin’s colourful and deceptively alluring work has attracted the attention of international critics and buyers over the past few years. His images seem to speak of the innocence ‘gone wrong’ – whether this is societies or more personal wrongs. His work also have humour and wit in their playful use of familiar, sometimes kitsch, imagery.

Related links
> Signal gallery
> Dan Baldwin website

CONTEMPORARY ART

Shintaro Ohata – the sculptor painter

July 9, 2013 Pierrick Senelaer

Shintaro Ohata is one of these artists who will show you something new, who will inspire you, either through a raw and obvious talent or/and because something gets taken to the next level, high, so high it is not reachable by the common creative soul.

Painting meets sculpture or is it rather sculpture redefines painting, I am actually not sure. I am looking at Shintaro Ohata’s works with interest. I then learn that the sculpture elements in his work are actually made of polystyrene and the actual painting is mainly made of acrylic.

This series of works depicts every day scenes of people going about their business but these become much more than that under the artist’s direction. The 3D effect that is created by the sculpted elements, mainly humans or animals, is disconcerting and confuse you as to what you are looking at – a sculpture with a painted background or a painting which includes a sculpture element.

The fusion of the two mediums is pretty remarkable here. Kneel down and look straight and you might not realise that there is a sculpture element, so much so that painting and sculpture elements are binding each other but take a few steps back and the 3D angle is now clear and the artwork has got a completely different feel to it.

We cannot wait for Shintaro Ohata to have a show in London

First seen on Arrested Motion

IN THE NEWS

Summer party at Black Rat Press

July 7, 2011 Pierrick Senelaer

Black Rat Projects would like to invite you to our Summer Party. On Saturday July 16th during the day we are teaming up with Cargo club next door whose expert chefs will cook up a bbq for BRP’s guests. This is a day for all the family: Matt Small will be doing one of his legendary workshops for the younger audience (if there’s space grown-ups can join in too…). To book for your kids email becca@blackrat.com with an optional £10 donation to ZAMCOG charity.

The day will mark the release of Lucas Price’s new print “Telepathic Heights”. The new edition (each one is uniquely hand coloured) will be hung among works by BRP friends, new and old, including: Swoon, Matt Small, Giles Walker, Candice Tripp, ROA and Brian Dettmer. Best Ever and Barcelona based artist Ruben Sanchez will be painting live on walls nearby.

The show will be a review of this year’s projects, and an ode to the artists who have made the space what it is, as well as a look forward to future projects as we welcome ROA, Candice Tripp and Brian Dettmer into the fold.

Join BRP as we celebrate summer on Saturday July 16th from 2-5pm! Invites will be sent out this week

Words by Black Rat Press

Find below the link of ROA show review at BRP earlier this year plus a couple of pictures that go with it – can’t wait for the next one!

ROA at BRP

PREVIEW

Dale Grimshaw at Signal gallery

October 6, 2011 Pierrick Senelaer

Dale Grimshaw has got a fine art education which meant that he has been difficult for him to be accepted in the streets as a graffiti artist but long ago was that time, Dale Grimshaw seems to plain sailing his style, his own.

His new show, Semi-detached is the expression of monsters and victims, making reference here to his violent father and the tensions this created in the household. Dale Grimshaw are full of that tension, the whole composition and combination of human and animal gives the tone of what it must have be like at home.

Dale Grimshaw – ‘Semi-detached’
6th October – 29th October 2011
www.signalgallery.com | 32 Paul Street | London, EC2A 4LB

STREET ART

DEIH and his Insider Series

August 13, 2012 Pierrick Senelaer

We talked to the Spanish born graffiti/street art artist DEIH who is part of the XLF CREW. We asked to tell us about him –

“I’m painting graffiti since 1993, and I still love it. I draw, I breath. I am developing a project called “The Insider”, which is part of an introspective investigation on my feelings and my life.

I draw my inner life, as I consider that the particular way of relating to the others and oneself (and the impasses one undergoes through that process) are the very core of any attempt of creation.

Thus, I understand science-fiction representational codes as a way to achieve (to construct) a personal truth, as I think that truth has a fictional structure.”

We have included a few photos of DEIH’s works along with some related links

http://www.eldeih.com
http://deih.blogspot.com

DIGITAL ART

Animated 3D gifs by Nick Thomm

November 13, 2014 Pierrick Senelaer

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).

CONTEMPORARY ART, REVIEWS

French artists at Genty Fine Art’s Christmas Show

December 20, 2011 Christopher Digby 1 Comment

I have always loved the saying “you learn something new everyday”; mainly because it is a saying my grandfather always drummed into me and also because I think it is a very accurate description for the ‘art world’.

This was especially the case when I met David Genty. Genty Fine Art mainly work with established French contemporary artists or artists who have lived and worked in France. For me this was an area I have not really come across as most of the artists I am friendly with, interested in or collect are predominantly English or British.

In addition to the French connection Genty Fine Art showcases sculpture as well as paintings which is another area I have never really ‘got in to’. I think this is predominantly a collector issue in that I can collect works of passion (that are on paper, canvas or print) without really thinking about where they will go, whereas with sculpture I have always felt that the piece has to be carefully thought about to ensure it fitted with the home – plus its not as easy to store sculpture!

David and Helen Genty founded Genty Fine Art as Galerie Genty in Western France in 2005 and changed to the current name when they returned to the UK in 2009. Having studied Philosophy, History & Theory of art and living in France for many years David has an excellent working knowledge and friendship with the artists they represent.

Genty Fine Art’s Christmas Show was therefore a great way to see the selection of artists Genty Fine Art work with, with my two favourites being Jean-Claude Mathieu (sculpture) and Francoise Bossut (paintings). David and Helen were on-hand to provide the right mix of enthusiasm and information about the works complimented with festive mulled cider and mince pies.

Exhibition: 10^th – 23^rd December
Genty Fine Art, Tygers Head, Tonbridge, Kent

DIGITAL ART

Post War Years by Tobias Stretch

January 13, 2012 Pierrick Senelaer

We were very impressed about 2 years ago when we stumbled upon the stop motion video from Tobias Stretch called Lucia a mesmerizing work, creepy at times but beautifully crafted throughout. Have a look at the video.

Tobias has produced another wonderfully surreal in his latest video where we follow a girl and her encounters with all around strange big face character. Sit back and watch and let you immerse.

Art-Pie