PRODUCT DESIGN

Best designers toys from New York Comic Con 2012

New York Comic Con 2012 has just happened and we are bringing you our top 5 favorites toys designs – this event is the East Coast’s biggest and most exciting popular culture convention.

Comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, toys, movies, and television fans are mad about the stuff on display.

New York Comic Con is the second largest pop culture convention in America and the only one that takes place in the comic book, publishing, media, and licensing capital of the world — Gotham City.

Artist: Dai Tran
“Pandit” and “Bitsumo”

Dai Tran’s big-bellied custom action figures “Pandit” and “Bitsumo” — one a sumo wrestler and the other a panda — have a mythic rivalry that plays out on the graphic t-shirts he’s created for complimentary apparel line, as well as in his line of figurines.

Pandit & Bitsumo by Daitran

Artist: Kaitlin Juarez and Maxwell Yax
“Madknits”

A certain ARTINFO editor (who will remain unnamed) couldn’t resist buying one of these heartbreakingly cuddly monsters herself. Each one is handmade, and comes with a backstory about their assimilation to planet Earth, based on the Madknits comic series.

Madknits by Kaitlin Juarez and Maxwell Yax

Artist: Smoko
“Toast USB”

We wish we had the whole set of genius 4 GB toast-shaped USBs for our office. “Butta,” “Ry Ry,” “Crisp,” and “Tato” fit into a toaster hub, which also includes an SD card reader and works with any flash drive.

Artist: Mr. Munk
“Buddha B Pissed”

According to its creator, this trio of Buddha action figures — complete with big block heads and crazy eyes — was sent out into the world to rid it of its evils, absorbing bad energy and repurposing it.

Buddha B Pissed by Mr Munk

Artist: Pete Fowler/Molvox
“Tribes of Monsterism Island Vol. One”

The natural earth tones used by artist Pete Fowler for his “Molvox” series of devilish tribesman are perfect; details like the felt applique on a textured helmet and the toothy face painted on another figurine’s jacket make his little guys unique finds when bought

Tribes of Monsterism Island Vol. One by Pete Fowler/Molvox

Taken from the Blouin Artinfo website, check there for photo credits

REVIEWS

Fibre Femmes at Surfacepop

A all female paste up and stencil show:

for a show that features several artists, the layout of the works in the space felt as though it was seven minds working as one, with each artist using different tools and techniques, we found that all the themes were interlinked.

However, there were definitely pieces that stood out from the rest, this included artists such as Kaffe-eine and Precious little. The space was welcoming and well curated and we will definitely be keeping an eye out for future shows.

Enjoy the pics below and make sure to check out the full photoset here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/chasingghosts/sets/72157626821556534

CONTEMPORARY ART

This ‘ME’ Of Mine opens tonight!

This Me Of Mine ! Art-PieAfter many months of preparation and efforts, Jane Boyer, the curator for the “This Me Of Mine” show,  is about to welcome visitor to the first leg of the 4 that makes up this project. Tonight, it will happen at APT Gallery in Deptford – full details at the bottom of this post as well as for the other 3 other legs of the show.

Jane Boyer says – “The financial support and professional recognition by ACE signals their belief in the project message, the mission and goals of Associated Artists Curators & Writers (AACW) – an organisation created to help independent arts practitioners succeed, and in me as curator and project manager. The significance of this grant by ACE in this financial climate gives hope to a future for independent practice in the UK.”

This ‘Me’ of Mine presents a model project for art as social enterprise in the mainstream arts through AACW and seeks to inspire others in the arts community to new approaches in arts presentation, engagement and development.

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

Where -APT Gallery | Harold Wharf, 6 Creekside, Deptford, London SE8 4SA
When –  14 – 31 March 2013 | PV 14 March, 6-9pm | Wed to Sun, 12 to 5pm

www.aptstudios.org

Contact: Jane Boyer
Email: Jane@janeboyer.com
Website: www.thismeofmine.wordpress.com
UK Mobile: 07561333028

PREVIEW

Team Robbo calling at Signal gallery

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

BLOG, PREVIEW

Why you should go to the London Peckham Rye Music Festival

Peckham, once an area that most Londoners regarded as a no-go area, has become in recent years a hip and cultural hub in the capital.

One of the events which is conveying this message is the London Peckham Rye Music Festival. Here is Why you should go to the London Peckham Rye Music Festival.

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    • The festival is over two week ends. The main festival takes place on the 12th May through the 14th May (week end) but more individual ticketed events also take place the next week end so you should be able to squeeze something in your ever busy schedule!
    • There is a wide spread of music genre – HOUSE, TECHNO, ELECTRONICA, GRIME, GARAGE, BASS, DISCO, JAZZ, FUNK, SOUL so hop from stage to stage or find your ultimate gig area.
Peckham Rye Music Festival | Art-Pie
The Peckham Rye Music Festival street parties. Street art by INSA
  • The festival venue is easily accessible due to its central London-ish location. The closest train station is Peckham Rye which is a five minute walk to the ‘Festival Hub’ in Copeland Park. The entrance to Copeland Park is accessible via 133 Rye Lane, then down Bussey Alley, until 9PM and Bournemouth Road from 9PM until midnight.
  • You can get a day ticket for as low as 15 quids! But hurry up as it is selling fast.
  • Secretsundaze is playing on Sunday 14th May at the Outdoor Stage and you do not want to miss it! Weather, please be good so we can have a kick ass time!

We hope we convinced you to get yourselves down to Peckham and enjoy the impressive range of music genres across another impressive number of stages.

We’ll see you there.

CONTEMPORARY ART, PREVIEW

Artcrank – your bike is art

Artcrank | Art-PieThere is still time to go and see Artcrank “A poster party for bike people” in Hoxton where cycling is broken down into art under the form of posters. Yes you heard me you hipsters, this is the place YOU HAVE to be so hurry and enjoy illustrations from international artists such as Dark Star Brewing, Pista Collective, Lezyne and Otesha Project UK to feature bike-inspired poster art by UK artists.

Admission is free, and limited edition, signed and numbered copies of all posters will be available for £30 each. We have included some pf our favorite posters below

What – Artcrank “A poster party for bike people”
Where – Plain Wall Projects in Hoxton | 2A Corsham St Shoreditch, London Borough of Hackney, London N1 6DP, UK
When – 7 till 14th September 2012

Artcrank | Art-PieArtcrank | Art-Pie

STREET ART ENCOUNTERS