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So what’s next for the Fourth Plinth?

January 21, 2017 Pierrick Senelaer

Thumbs Up by David Shrigley | Art-Pie — Thumbs Up by David Shrigley

If you have been near Trafalgar Square in London, you must have noticed a 7m high sculpture looking like a thumbs up.

This particular pedestal on the square is called the Fourth Plinth and the current artist showing their works is David Shrigley.

So what’s next for the Fourth Plinth?

2018 & 20 shortlists announced

London’s National Gallery has revealed the five shortlisted proposals for the 2018 and 2020 Fourth Plinth commissions by artists Huma Bhabha, Damián Ortega, Heather Phillipson, Michael Rakowitz, and Raqs Media Collective.

The shortlisted proposals, which are currently on show in the National Gallery’s Annenberg Court until 26 March 2017, include an empty white robe, a recreation of a sculpture destroyed by ISIS, and a scoop of parasite-covered ice cream.

Not long now to find out which two works will be selected to finally stand on the plinth in 2018 and 2020.

Shortlisted sculptures in images

“Untitled” by Huma Bhabha
– an imposing figure, the scale reflecting a modern comic sci-fi movie.

Untitled, by Huma Bhabha | Art-Pie — Untitled, by Huma Bhabha

“High Way” by Damián Ortega
– a playful and precarious construction of a truck, oil cans, scaffold and a ladder.

“THE END” by Heather Phillipson
– explores the extremes of shared experience, from commemorations and celebrations to mass protests, all while being observed by a drone’s camera.

“The Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist” by Michael Rakowitz
– a recreation of the Lamassu, a winged bull and protective deity, which was destroyed by ISIS in 2015.

“The Emperor’s Old Clothes” by Raqs Media Collective
– explores how power can be both present and absent in sculpture.

About the Fourth Plinth

Uncategorized

Meet the little workers in Clerkenwell

November 3, 2011 Pierrick Senelaer 1 Comment

Looking down as usual when I am on my way to the office, I must have heard them calling on me that day. I looked up that morning. One was proudly sat down on a wooden pillar while another little man and a woman had found refuge in small cavities of what looks like a very depraved wall. But they were all very glad, I spotted them as so many by-passers never do, they told me.

At first I loved them but was also eager to know what the hell these little characters were all about. After a what seemed to me a long chat, I did not know more than before I talked to them. What I knew for sure is that they were over the moon that someone took them out of their boredom by spotting them.

Slightly puzzled by this encounter, I was trying very hard to remember whether I had seen these guys elsewhere when right there in front me, was another little worker but this time amongst the display of some kitchen and bathroom furniture shop on Clerkenwell road. I was stunned and started to believe they were either following me or spreading all around.

I decided to step in the shop and find out once for all…

These little workers are actually part of an advertising campaign to increase awareness about the imminent opening of a new DOMUS shop on Great Sutton street. DOMUS is speacialising in tiles. Representatives have been around shops in Clerkenwell and gave away these little figurines to scatter around willing shopkeepers’ shop windows as well as right on the street nearby the new store.

Whatever this is, street art used in advertising, this is a genius idea and if the guys at DOMUS had in mind to get people to find out and talk about these guys, well they got it right. Look above, I mentioned three times their brand in this blog post and are about to insert a link about their new shop which is about to open. Clap, clap, clap.

Read more about the new DOMUS shop (might be of interest to you, huh?). Find out what they look like with photographs below.

CONTEMPORARY ART

This Me Of Mine moves to Strange Cargo| Georges House Gallery

April 9, 2013 Pierrick Senelaer

After a successful and very positively received installation at APT Gallery in Deptford, This ‘Me’ of Mine moves onto its second venue in a four venue tour. The exhibition will open Friday 12 April at Strange Cargo|Georges House Gallery in Folkestone. The new venue is a lot more intimate than the generous space at APT and therefore might be an interesting challenge for Jane Boyer, the curator, to recreate the grandiose atmosphere I felt when I visited the show.

Jane Boyers says “Stage two of a four venue tour begins this week at Strange Cargo|Georges House Gallery in Folkestone. The difference in gallery space for the second venue will impact the relationships of the works to each other and will present new connections for visitors to the show. The changing context of space becomes a visible manifestation of the project theme – ‘self in relation to context’.”

““When I installed the work at APT in their wonderful space, I was able to give much of that space to the works themselves, allowing time for reflection and possibly a deeper look into the work in the show. I soon realised, though, that the space I allowed the works became more than just ‘space’, it became a visible manifestation of the project theme, self in relation to context. Just as each piece in the show makes visible an aspect of self and identity, this space made ‘context’ visible. That excited me,”

If we had to pick out three artworks from what we saw at APT, David Riley, Aly Helyer and David Minton got our attention and our curiosity excited.

David Ryley‘s work using some very 2.0 mediums such as a digital photo frame and or twitter who makes him a very cutting-edge and interesting artist to observe. We particularly liked his work “Twitter user names: coded and transcribed – TUNC” (c)2013 which consists of printed A4 office paper, printed on an office inkjet printer, connected into a continuous record using binding combs. Hung using a steel rod and steel eyelets. 300mm x 1800mm x 20mm (variable, will grow). You cannot get more current than that!

While social media channels are becoming part of out lives, and can even take over then, we understood here why Jane Boyer included this piece in her show as a witness of the ‘ME’ in a social interaction phenomena.

Aly Helyer‘s ‘Strange Fruit‘ (c)2007 ink on paper 67 x 101 cm mesmerised us and took us to many places. Look at it again and you seem to perceive things, or are they faces or just thoughts. Thoughts of the artist, maybe not so happy but that reminded us that the ‘ME’ is before deep inside all of us.

——————

This ‘Me’ of Mine showcases work by: Aly Helyer, Edd Pearman, Jane Boyer, Darren Nixon, Hayley Harrison, Melanie Titmuss, Annabel Dover, Kate Murdoch, David Minton, Anthony Boswell, David Riley, Sandra Crisp, Sarah Hervey, Shireen Qureshi, and Cathy Lomax.

Strange Cargo|Georges House Gallery

Georges House

8 The Old High Street

Folkestone

Kent CT20 1RL

www.strangecargo.org.uk

12 April to 7 May 2013

PV 12 April, 6-9pm

Mon to Sat, 10 to 5pm

PREVIEW

Editions group show at Arch402 gallery

November 29, 2011 Pierrick Senelaer

ARCH 402 gallery has now been running for just over a year but has already become a major London venue to show and promote street art and this upcoming show – Street Art @ Arch402 should be another cracking show.

Often here, works from East London’s street art scene will be put on show so expect wonders from Ronzo or Sweet Toof. New works, prints and crafted objects will make up this show and tunes will be played by a DJ.

All unframed work will be available to take away on the night and throughout the show.

When – 2 December 2011 – 13 January 2012 (Opening party – 1 December 2011 18:00-21:00)
Where – Arch402 gallery | Cremer street | London

REVIEWS, STREET ART

New York Kings at Pure Evil

November 5, 2012 Pierrick Senelaer

Although street art is inviting itself in auction rooms and household lounges these days, it is still regarded by a large majority of us as vandalism. It is hard to understand anything when you do not try to understand where it comes from but only look at the surface and leave your ignorance driven your judgement which is bound to be false.

New York Kings at Pure Evil and curator Christophe Demoulin would definitely like to put this point across to any visitor and underline the importance of the US graffiti movement that started along with the hip hop one in the 70’s and 80’s. The purpose of this writing is not to tell about the social or politic importance aspect of the movement but about looking at the creativity that came out of it which is on display in this show.

All the graffiti and street art pieces have been drawn on actual New York subway maps which is the new medium the “old kings” have found to pursue the tradition of “subway art”. This was a necessity more than anything since the authorities have actually banned any artistic intervention in the subway. The most prolific and subversive won the right among peers to use a crown symbol next to their work, meaning graffiti king.

The show spreads onto the two floors at Pure Evil and has got pieces from all the big names that made the graffiti genres used widely by other artists all over the world from BLADE for the 3D lettering to COPE2 for the bubble lettering. Other names includes FUZZ ONE, BOM5, SEN2, INDIE 184, STAY HIGH 149, POEM, RD 357, DECK, EASY & JOZ.

The show runs until the 18th november 2012.

CONTEMPORARY ART

Message in the Code

October 1, 2012 Jane Boyer

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.

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?

Would the message in the code change?

BLOG, LISTS

5 awesome Star Wars themed prints by RYCA & Trafford Parsons

May 11, 2015 Pierrick Senelaer

With the release of yet another episode of the Star Wars saga – Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, later on this year we looked at how much artists get inspired by it and selected 10 pieces we felt were worth sharing.

May the (art) force be with you. Enjoy these 5 awesome Star Wars themed prints by RYCA & Trafford Parsons

“Han Echoes Red” by RYCA

“Choose your droid” by RYCA

“R2 Tag2” by RYCA

“Rebel Rebel” by RYCA

“R2D2 by” Trafford Parsons

LISTS, STREET ART

10 Banksy facts – did you know?

November 24, 2013 Pierrick Senelaer

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.

I WAS THERE

#8 Otto Schade

March 20, 2013 Pierrick Senelaer

BLOG, DIGITAL ART, LATEST

Dance & 3D – Le mouvement de l’air

May 18, 2016 Pierrick Senelaer

3D technology which once was promised to succeed (back in the 80s) completely disappeared (or almost) as a medium for any artistry around but this is changing. 3D movies have been a regular hits at the Box Office while 3D gaming is booming.

3D and dance?

Meet Adrien M and Claire B, pioneers in embracing and using multimedia in their choreographies, present us with a fascinating and reactive projection-mapped performance. The Movement of the Air, now a video, is bond to bend they way you usually looked at dance.

How does it work?

Collaborators Rémi Boissy, Farid-Ayelem Rahmouni, and Maëlle Reymond manipulate tornadoes, columns of smoke, and lively geometric shapes in real time.Unlike normal projection mapping, which relies heavily on pre-planning a show to fit every contour and crevice of a surface, Adrien M and Claire B let shapes and patterns emerge in response to the people on stage.

Plus the dancers move to the rhythm of live music, adding one more layer of irreplicable humanity to the show.

I still don’t get it, pls clarify

No one better than the artists themselves may be able to shed some light on the technicality of the use of 3d and dance. Here is what they said to The Creators Project

The set is inhabited by a 3 face structure: two vertical panels of white gauze and a white dance oor are asymmetrically combined to create an immersive projection system. This « living light » is produced by video projectors and generated in real time by a set of algorithms.

It is a mix of control room operated human interventions and onstage sensors data that outlines a precise writing of motions and generative behaviors. They are generated according to physical models and therefore remind everyone of their own real life experience and imaginary of motion.