‘Life Work’ by Martha Cooper at Stolen Space

'Life work' by Marhta Cooper | Art-Pie
Click to enlarge

About Exhibition

Martha Cooper is a legendary photographer who has shot around the globe, beginning with USA to Asia. She worked both for papers and magazines like New York Post and National Geographic and independently, making contributions into her personal archive.
Stories and captures that appeared in her lens were different and timely: travels, people and of course art. She has been documenting graffiti and street art for 40 years and her iconic book “Subway Art” influenced on graffiti culture and opened a new world to those whose countries came to urban art much later than in USA.

Martha Cooper | Art-Pie
Location: Soweto

Martha Cooper is still working with graffiti and street artists, documenting artworks of US and international artists around the world, and continues to make an important contribution to the urban art movement.

Graffiti and street art are ephemeral but pieces and murals can be preserved through photography. Since the late ’70’s, Martha Cooper has documented urban art with a view towards historic preservation. Her work will help make this art form immortal, providing future generations of artists and historians with images of what has been called the biggest art movement in the history of the world. The gallery will exhibit Martha’s photos in a timeline from the ’70s until today, following her interest in graffiti as it spread from a localised New York City phenomenon into a massive worldwide urban art movement. Included in the exhibition will be also photos of StolenSpace Gallery artists shot by Martha in various locations.

Hollyweed not Hollywood, the prankster who hijacked the hills of California

Hollyweed not Hollywood, the prankster (and his wife) who hijacked the hills of California.

You most probably heard about this very recent prank – on the 1st January, the famous HOLLYWOOD sign got hijacked to read HOLLYWEED.

Hollyweed by Jesus Hands | Art-Pie
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 “I wanted to make people laugh”

Zach Fernandes, the artist behind this prank, also goes by “JesusHands,” – at the time of writing this post, his Twitter account seems to have been suspended – https://twitter.com/account/suspended

We hear that Zach Fernandes’s motive behind this prank was just to make people laugh but pressure got too high and the artist cracked under it.

“If I did break the law in trespassing, I’m not going to run from the law,

Fernandez said.

The artist turned himself in on Monday.

Over the fence and a bit of sewing

Hollyweed | Art-Pie
Click to enlarge

Looking more closely at how the sign was transformed, you’ll notice that he wrapped letters with tarps to transform its message.

We literally were sewing stuff the day of. It was so fun and exhilarating.

> Read more about this on Buzzfeed

Valencia, full of police, full of beautiful walls

Miss Kaliansky, a keen street art shooter, has been around the spanish city of Valencia and has sent us back this mighty set of street art

Featured artists: Blu | Cere | Deih | Dong | Eric il Cane | Escif | Hyuro Only Ateme | Ro | Pez | Radghe | Sam3 & STN

STN and Dong pieces are our favorites, what are yours?

Blu
Blu
STN
STN

Sam3 (left) and PEZ (right)
Sam3PEZ

RADHGE
RADHGE
Only Ateme & Ro
Only Ateme & Ro
ESCIF
ESCIF

DEIH (left) & DONG (right)
DEIHDONG

Meet Eddie Breen: piggyback art

eathat2

About 10 years ago, Chris Sammartano (Eddie Breen is his ‘brush name’) stumbled upon a “horrible” painting at a flea market. He bought it for a dollar, picked up some art supplies, and got to work transforming the staid church scene into his own vibrant vision.

An hour or so later, he had created “Piggyback Art,” an exuberantly surreal style that reimagines found works with layers of text, color, and offbeat graphic elements. Continue reading Meet Eddie Breen: piggyback art

RUN has hit the walls of Village Underground

Artist RUN just finished his piece on the walls of the Village Underground project space and has kindly sent in a few pictures which are shown below. This commission came as a bit of a surprise for the artist since the guys at VU rang him at the last minute and asked him whether he would like to fill the 6 days off advertising gap by painting the outside walls

The job took about 5 hours and depicts one of classic RUN’s feaure already seen across London streets and beyond.

RUN at Village Underground | Art-Pie

RUN at Village Underground | Art-Pie

RUN at Village Underground | Art-Pie

A 97 year old, nearly blind man who works wonders with MS Paint

His name is Hal Lasko, his nickname Grandpa. What he did for living is something we will probably never see again – he was a graphic artist back when everything was done by hand. He then had to retired and his caring family had the genius idea to introduce him to the computer and especially to Microsoft Paint.

Since then Grandpa spends ten hours a day moving pixels around his computer paintings. Some would call his work pointillism, others 8-Bit art but it might be a bit of both.

Anyway, another inspiration that is Hal Lasko, The Pixel Painter. We have included below a video interview of the artist plus a few examples of his works.

Hal Lasko | Art-Pie

Hal Lasko | Art-Pie

Hal Lasko | Art-Pie

So what’s next for the Fourth Plinth?

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.

High Way, by Damian Ortega | Art-Pie

“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 END' by Heather Phillipson | Art-Pie

“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 Invisible Enemy Should Not Exist, by Michael Rakowitz | Art-Pie

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

The Emperor's Old Clothes, by the Raqs Media Collective | Art-Pie

About the Fourth Plinth

Artists pick from the 2012 London art fair – part1

If there is one art fair I have been and do not want to miss from now on, is the London Art Fair (LAF). Why is that? Just simply because it presents over 100 galleries featuring the great names of 20th century British art and exceptional contemporary work from leading figures and emerging talent.

Added to that, there are always a bunch of solo shows and curated group displays in the Art Projects section and even a showcase for contemporary photography. You’ll have understood by now, the LAF is my Thorpe park as a kid; always eager to go and never willing to go home once in it.

Here below is our artist pick (part 1) | Read part 2 | Read part 3

Sarah Hardcare via Paul Stolper
Habd pulled, four colour photo silk screen print on 300 gsm Caneletto paper
Sarah Hardcare via Paul StolperSarah Hardcare via Paul Stolper

Thomas Allen via Foley gallery (left) | Shaun Doyle and Mally Mallinson via Paul Stolper
Chromogenic print (left) | Cast bronze (right)
Thomas Allen via Foley galleryShaun Doyle and Mally Mallinson via Paul Stolper

Tom Ormond via Charlie Smith
Oil on linen
Tom Ormond via Charlie Smith

Rob and Nick Carter via Fine Art Society
Paint pigment photographs
Rob and Nick Carter via Fine Art Society

Matthew Redford via Agnew’s gallery (left) | Paul Wright via Thompson’s gallery (right)
Oil on canvas (left) | Oil on canvas (right)
Matthew Redford via Agnew's galleryPaul Wright via Thompson's gallery

Carla Melegari via Thompson’s gallery
Oil on canvas
Carla Melegari via Thompson's gallery

Cameron Gray via Sims Reed gallery
Photocollage
Cameron Gray via Sims Red gallery

Cameron Gray via Sims Red gallery

STREET ART ENCOUNTERS