Chicago, IL – Rotofugi, home to toys and art. One of the best venues for pop surrealism a mere mile and a half away from my current home. The charming, light-filled space greets visitors with cheery figures by Kidrobot, Frank Kozik, Tokidoki, and others. Additionally, they have apparel, plush toys, journals, and a variety of knickknacks. It’s easy to lose track of time, awed by all the clever and intricate crafts. The gallery, with constantly changing exhibits, is located towards the back of the space.
Two artists, Jeremiah Ketner and Shannon Bonatakis compose the most recent exhibit, on view through December 4, 2011. Both artists highlight femininity in their work in a style that incorporates soft brush strokes on medium sized canvases to create an ephemeral quality. However, their works diverge on all other areas.
Ketner paints whimsical images that transport you to a serene oceanic world. His cartoonish pixies follow the style of Japanese anime. Ketner says “everything is small and round” in Japan and his subjects reflect that notion. Bonatakis uses a similarly soft method of portraiture, focusing on young women. However, her characters are not hybrids of fantasy. The long sleek figures lack the sense of whimsy found in Ketner’s work. Bonatakis’ images instead, incorporate a sense of macabre. Although blood and severed body parts confront the viewer, they do not disrupt the scene. The characters have an uncanny acceptance of their fate and seem empowered by their imperfections or the fate bestowed on them. Resignation abounds as they penetrate the viewer with a lustful resonance. Eerily, these images instill the viewer with a sense of serenity.
This is Bonatakis’ first show at Rotofugi. She currently resides in Denver and is active in galleries across the US.
This is Ketner’s third show at Rotofugi. He has shown at over 50 galleries across North America. His characters grace the walls of Nordstroms throughout the country. Ketner also makes figures and plush toys. He lives in Chicago with his two sons, and together they explore the city.
Rotofugi Gallery is located at 2780 N. Lincoln Ave. Chicago, IL 606 They are open between 11 am and 7 pm, 7 days a week.
The much hyped Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition opens at the National Gallery from today with a seven room exhibition. The display is ideal for those who adore the technicality of the line and the workings of an artist , with many drawings and paintings by Leonardo and his pupils on display.
Its build up has been felt for many months, ever since its advance booking opened in May 2011 – a long seven months before its actual opening day.
With its future opening date released then came the capped visitor numbers announcement, with the gallery saying it would restrict visitors due to an, ‘unprecedented demand’. Today (9 November) The Evening Standard has reported how the tickets have sold out until mid-December. The pressure for this display to deliver to its global audience is immense.
The exhibition brings together an impressive collection of international loans never before seen in the UK, from the Queen, America, Poland, France, Scotland and from Art Fund acquisitions.
One difference with this exhibition from others is it the first to be dedicated to Leonardo’s aims and techniques as a painter. Don’t expect reams of glorious huge paintings, though there are a few pretty ladies, curly haired men and angels.
The whole display focuses on Leonardo as an artist, his technical skills and his teaching skills, showing how his works were often finished or copied by his pupils, and in some cases edited. In particular it concentrates on the work he produced as court painter to Duke Lodovico Sforza, in Milan in the late 1480s and 1490s.
As well as finished pieces, each room is peppered with Leonardo’s preparatory and experimental sketches.
The final part of the exhibition, a few mintues walk away in the Sunley Room features a near-contemporary, full-scale copy of Leonardo’s famous ‘Last Supper’, on loan from the Royal Academy. Seen alongside all the surviving preparatory drawings made by Leonardo for the ‘Last Supper’ it makes for an interesting viewing, but seems rather ‘tagged’ on to the exhibition.
Pieces to stop by:
The Musician (1486-7) Room 1 – An unfinished portrait demonstrating Leonardo’s skill in positioning of the face creating a life like portrait with depth.
Portrait of Bianca Maria Sforza (1493) Room 2 – Get your fill of opulence with this lavish picture showing a traditional Milanese style dress, with Leonardo’s profile technique on full view.
The Lady with an Ermine (1498-90) Room 2 – This piece is centre stage of the room and shows off Leonardo’s portraiture and colour skills. The lady almost leaps out of the canvas due to her 3/4 turned pose and the black back background, giving her a 3D quality that soon become sort after by Leonardo’s pupils.
Studies of the Nervous System (1485-8) and Studies of the Human Skull (1489) Room 3 – This is one of many anatomical studies in this room, and they took my breath away. He’s used hints of shadow and light to depict tiny features of the human body. The skull looks perfect in minature form and these observations were no doubt the ground work for his future paintings, making figures seem as real as possible. It astounds me how these delicate sketches are over 500 years old.
The Virgin of the Rocks (1493) Louvre and Virgin of the Rocks (1491/2-9 and 1506-9) National Gallery Room 4 – These pieces are obviously the focal point for this room and essentially a key point for the exhibition. They are on show together for the first time and are intended to show Leonardo’s difference in style and views of painting and art. The earlier piece is very rich in colour and could easily fit into a church altar piece. The second is restrictive in its colour palette and the figures are more sculptural with a porcelain quality.
The Burlington Cartoon ( 1499-1500) Room 6 – This lively large piece in charcoal seems to move as you move around it. The unfinished aspect of the piece almost makes it work more, it stands out in this room. The figures are fluid and contemporary, it’s a break away and step up from Leonardo’s meticulous anatomical studies.
Room 7 in the Sunley room has a handy time line of Leonardo’s artistic career, with significant events and works. This would of been suited to have at the beginning of the exhibition, putting this display into context even more, especially for those less familiar with his pieces. The room feels tagged on, an afterthought. It’s interesting to see the workings that may have gone into this work, and then the copy of the Last Supper is astonishing to see in its grand scale.
Head along to this exhibition for a peek into Leonardo Da Vinci’s undoubted skill as a technical drawer and creater of astonishing life like works, which capture humanity and idealised beauty in all its forms. He perhaps saw himself as a creator and observer of humanity, what’s key from the exhibition is that he was always striving for improving his skills and thankfully we get to see these still today in this exhibition.
‘If the painter wishes to see beauties that enamour him, he is the master of their production, and if he wishes to see monsterous things.. he is their lord and god.’
The exhibition is open now: 09 Nov 2011 – 05 Feb 2012 Mon – Thu, Sat, Sun 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM; Fri 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM Closed Christmas Eve, Boxing Day, Christmas Day.
Once again I was on my way to the Elms Lesters Painting rooms to go and check out the latest dimensional paintings from Adam Neate. I still had so many good memories from Adam Neate’s last year’s show, also held at this venue, that I could not wait to see what this new show had to offer.
The layout and feel of the Elms Lesters painting rooms is as I remembered it – high ceilings, wooden floors and a relative darkness only interrupted by spots of lights giving the artist’s pieces all the shine and attention they deserve. But Adam Neate’s works would not even need all that for the visitor to quickly realise that what they are looking at is something quite special, something you also need to look at for a little moment to get what it actually is.
Acrylic, perspex, metal and aerosol on board : there you have what makes up Adam Neate’s works. But these mediums need some solid imagination as well as some advanced manual dexterity to transform and assemble some elaborate and intricate pieces of dimensional art – Adam Neate has just done that.
The palette used is flamboyant with a preference for red, the shapes are rounded, the end result is astonishing. Adam Neate’s art is very evocative, his job is to put shapes and colors together, your job is to see through these and come back out with a vision of the piece, your own vision of what you are actually looking at. I found his series of “Red Dimnesional Portraits” very powerful, I could almost hear them shouting at me as I walk past them. The flamboyant colors and defaced visages have certainly something to do with it.
Adam Neate
This review will not be complete without mentioning his “Canvas Crucifix”. The Elms Lesters Painting rooms have been accommodated to give even more emphasis to this amazing piece of art. A wall was especially made so the piece could be hang on and with a clever setting of light and shadow, isolate the piece from everything else and draw people’s attention. I found myself very intrigued, slightly apprehensive and thinking “What the hell is that? Adam Neate torn the whole canvas, while still attached the frame, in a such way that he managed to produce what looks like a character on a crucifix. No painting here just a very original use of the canvas as such – a dimensional approach again.
The show at Elms Lesters Painting Rooms is now over. You will find more pictures of the show by scrolling down.
Adam Neate – Blue Reclining NudeAdam Neate – Red Dimensional Portrait
Warhol, just the name conjures up an instant catalogue of artworks/images that transcend generations – the Campbell’s Soup tins, the Jackie Kennedy prints – and define the pop art movement.
This exhibition gives viewers a glimpse into something other than the primary colours and consumerism images of Andy Warhol. Proud Chelsea is exhibiting a photographic memoir of a year at the Factory – Warhols working world of creativity and notoriety. The images were taken by David McCabe who was a rising star on the New York photography scene during the 60s, he was contacted by Warhol and asked to collaborate with him in documenting life at the Factory between 1964 and 1965.
McCabe was asked to conform to two conditions by Warhol: that he didn’t use a flash and that he was someone who would fit in; David became part of the Factory’s entourage and took over 2,500 photographs at the Factory and other locations around New York.
This is McCabe’s first UK exhibition and highlights this world that Warhol created the exhibition features snap shots of other artists Warhol knew, such as Salvador Dali. In one image Dali is seen to be explaining one of his paintings to Warhol, almost in a teacher/professor like manor.
This small display at Proud Chelsea of McCabe’s photographs are a peek into Warhol’s world and the stars of the Factory, one of these was Edie Sedgwick, for whom this display is for; commemorating the 40th anniversary of her death. She features across many of the images and her contemporary look could be straight out of a bar in Chelsea today.
One striking image for me is Philip Johnson’s Glasshouse1964/5 something about the angle, the glass and space that perhaps say a lot about Warhol and the world he was cultivating, his look of almost a surveying nature. It also reminded me of a clothing advert – the slick, clean cut look and serniness of the image – it could almost be for Burberry.
The images still feel modern and some are more candid than others, such as one featuring Edie, Chuck Wein and Warhol at a party at the Empire State building in1965, which could almost be a Facebook picture, the three of them are huddled in close, looking up at the camera.
The display features images that Warhol decided did not portray him in a light he was keen to cultivate and they were put away by McCabe and left. Some of these unique photographs have been untouched or unprinted, for nearly 40 years so its well worth a look.
Downstairs are some of Proud’s other images by terry ONiel and others. My favoruites is a shot of the Rolling Stones with paige boy hair cuts from 1963, an open shirted Mick Jagger striking a pose for an image entitled ‘Mick’s Lips’ and the sultry Marianne Faithfull in knee high socks and Mary Janes. All of the images no matter what the year still look modern, with looks straight out of today’s catwalks.
The exhibition opens today at Proud Chelsea and runs till the 4th December Mon, Tue, Thu – Sun 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM; Wed 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM.
Funding cuts aplenty and rent price hikes it’s no wonder galleries are tiptoeing around trying to make the best decisions when it comes to their businesses. So there was surprise when art collector Jay Joplin announced the opening of his third London space – White Cube Bermondsey.
Already coveting two sort-after addresses in Mayfair and Hoxton this new venture seems to be taking on not only a larger space – in fact 58,000 sq ft of interior space- but a different vibe too. Set in 1970s warehouse it is the largest of the gallery’s three London sites and has been re designed by Casper Mueller Kneer Architects. The result is what on the opening last night looked like a cross between a spaceship and a multi-storey car park entrance.
There is a particular timing about this new space as it debuts at a perfect few weeks in the art calendar. For the next 2 weeks hundreds of collectors and buyers descend on London for the Frieze Art Fair and the whole host of exhibitions and pop up spaces that come along with it.
After queuing and being penned in for around 30 minutes we finally got inside. With it being dark outside already the bright lights and white walls were overwhelming, I felt like I needed blinkers to stop squinting. Once inside you are greeted with a long corridor off of it are the three principal exhibition spaces, private viewing rooms, an auditorium and a bookshop – which I have to say was my favourite space I could have spent a lot of money.
After trying to match the exhibition descriptions on the guide to the artworks (no labels featured) we explored the first space at the centre of the building, a gallery entitled ‘9 x 9 x 9’. Presenting here is Cerith Wyn Evans with a clinical neon light installation that wraps around this literally cubed room. It felt as if the words had come out of the walls due to the white neon and smooth quality.
Structure & Absence in the South Galleries include Gary Hume’s works which looked like they were dripping off the canvas in Room I with their metallic surfaces popping out from the white smooth walls. Room II features some bits and bobs from Damien Hirst. His Chinese scholars’ rocks and more familiar things like his ‘Neverland’ in room II – a mirrored shelved board filled with pills –think Smarties and disco.
Three smaller galleries, collectively known as the ‘North Galleries’ is where Kitty Kraus’ pieces can be found which are highlight for me. Her light box installations are tranquil and the prisms of light reflect on the blank canvas walls creating cityscape structures that reminded me of Tron.
Dinos and Jake Chapman have their two cents worth in the screening room. Can’t say too much about it as, well, you just have to see for yourself. If features Rhys Evans as an angst ridden artist and left us with puzzled faces afterwards.
It’s worth a look to see some of the lesser known contemporary artists on show and for the space itself, no doubt there will be some bigger things to come from this space in future.
“Structure and absence” runs until the 26/11/11
White Cube | Bermondsey Street | 144 —152 Bermondsey Street | London SE1 3TQ http://www.whitecube.com
Chicago, IL – Rotofugi, home to toys and art. One of the best venues for pop surrealism a mere mile and a half away from my current home. The charming, light-filled space greets visitors with cheery figures by Kidrobot, Frank Kozik, Tokidoki, and others. Additionally, they have apparel, plush toys, journals, and a variety of knickknacks. It’s easy to lose track of time, awed by all the clever and intricate crafts. The gallery, with constantly changing exhibits, is located towards the back of the space.
The much hyped Leonardo Da Vinci exhibition opens at the 
McCabe was asked to conform to two conditions by Warhol: that he didn’t use a flash and that he was someone who would fit in; David became part of the Factory’s entourage and took over 2,500 photographs at the Factory and other locations around New York.
