Star Wars “The ARTIST Awakens” Art Exhibition at Underdog gallery
Kaws at Gallery Perrotin in Hong Kong
Too late to go this year, the Hong Kong International Art Fair, opening this Thursday 17th, is something I should definitely pencil in for next year as when its popularity ever increasing, the quality of the art on display is becoming something.
Take this event for example – KAWS, or Brian Donnelly at Galerie Perotin. First solo show in Asia for KAWS and debut event for the latter, you know it is going to be good, don’t you. This Hong Kong branch of Galerie Perrotin is the newest outpost of the Paris based gallery.
This show focuses on KAWS’ latest paintings and CHUM, the Michelin Man-inspired caricature is well represented again, as it has been in loads of his past shows but this time CHUM looks ominous almost threatening. About 50 vertical paintings, 7 feet tall and 1 feet wide, definitely give a sense of grandeur to the show
The Nature of Need by KAWS
Galerie Perrotin Hong Kong
50 Connaught Road Central |Floor 17| Hong Kong
Exhibition Dates: Now – June 30th, 2012 (Saturday)
5 street art pieces about Brexit
Some of you may know this – UK Parliament will debate on a second EU referendum at Westminster Hall on 5 September 2016, after an online petition attracted more than four-million signatures. As a reminder, 51.9% of the UK voted to leave the European Union on 23 June 2016, with a turnout of 72.2%.
We thought we’ll share with you guys 5 street art pieces about Brexit
1. “Not #InForThis?” by The WeAreEurope artist collective& Paintsmiths Of Bristol, Bristol, England
The work – a reference to a iconic Berlin Wall mural of a kiss between ex-Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev and East Germany’s Eric Honecker – went viral… and the idea has been copied this week for the UK’s referendum on EU membership.
A Bristol street artist created a new mural that features Trump – who has claimed that the UK would be better off outside the EU – instead making out with former Mayor of London Boris Johnson, the de-facto leader of the Brexit campaign.
The work, on the side of Bristol’s old Carriage Works, features the slogan “Not #InForThis? Register to vote on the EU referendum now!”
The WeAreEurope artist collective have claimed responsibility for the mural alongside Paintsmiths Of Bristol.
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2. By Odeith, Bristol, England
This mural was done for the Upfest festival help each year in Bristol. You will have recognised the actor Benny Hill who featured in his long-running internationally popular television programme The Benny Hill Show
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3. By LUDO, Paris, France
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4. By (unknown artist) , Bristol, England
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5. By Andrea Angeli
This is not a murtal nor street art but a nice illustration we thought so we wanted to share it with you
Miss Van – Twinkles at Magda Danysz Gallery
One of the first stops on our European tour is Paris, France.
We spent the first day just walking the streets taking as many shots as we could of the amazing amount of street art. On the second day we made way to the Magda danysz Gallery to check out the latest show from Miss Van entitled ”Twinkles”.
The gallery is a huge space, set over two floors with a series of stretching white wall.We are familiar with Miss Van’s colourful street work featuring her trademark female figures. This show was a step in sightly different direction with the ground floor focusing on a series of works with a distinct Victorian feel, dark tones set in very heavy wooden frames.
The first floor has a carnival theme, still darker imagery yet a little more colour than the works you see on other floors. Some other reviews have pointed out that the difference in themes is due to the fact that the body of work is combination of paintings from earlier shows mixed with some later works.
This didn’t bother us, as this was the first show from Miss Van that were able to see, we enjoyed seeing the progression of themes over a few years work.
This show is very enjoyable, if not slightly dwarfed by the sheer size of the gallery, yet well worth checking out.
The show runs until the 30/4/2011
When: 19/3 till 30/4/11
Where: Magda Danysz gallery (Paris)
View all the pics on our Flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/chasingghosts/sets/72157626300739007/
Conor Harrington and Maser collaboration
Off Brick Lane. Beauty. Picture by @bablu121
Extinction/Extension, a new show by Otto Schade
Extinction/Extension by the half-Chilean half-German street artist Otto Schade known as OSCH is opening tomorrow at London West Bank gallery.
In the meantime, the private view of the show is tonight between 6-10pm.
As the Anonymous sunset image shows, Osch will work on his signature tape style combined with his sunsets which have covered London and other cities in the past year.
The artist will be releasing 2 very low edition hand-finished Anonymosch prints during the show and there will be a giveaway of 10 posters (image below) to the first 10 fans through the door.
Here is what OSCH says about the show –
‘AnonymOsch’ came about for a couple of reasons. When we were putting together my latest solo show I had to come up with a name that meant something to me! I decided on the show being named ‘Extinction Extension’. Followers of my work will know that I try to highlight the futility of war and also the fragile plight of many of our endangered species. These guys at anonymous try very much to do the same thing in their own kind of way.They have started a global movement that is growing by the day.
He adds –
Although I don’t agree with everything that they highlight, a lot of what they convey makes perfect sense. My ‘Orb’ body of works do not pertain to anywhere in the world in particular, but rather everywhere where there is conflict. ‘AnonymOSCH’ is a hybrid artwork that utilises the impact of the simplistic Orb and also encompasses my trademark ribbon style. The face of Anonymous was taken from the ‘V is for Vendetta’ movie, although originally (as I am led to believe) was manufactured as a Guy Fawkes mask.
When Anonymous Chapter One, London commissioned the drawing from me I jumped at the chance as it was an image that I had been toying with for quite some time.
Please note: you need to be on the guestlist to be entitled to the free poster so please RSVP to guestlist@londonwestbank.com
Another cracking collaboration between REMED and OKUDA
Okuda (Spain) and Remed (France) have renewed the symbolic sculpture located in the vineyards of the winery Campo Viejo in La Rioja, Spain this past week. The work entitled “A Bridge Between Sky and Earth” pictured by the artists was built in 2013 and became an icon for the wineries. Three years later, the sculpture is reborn with a new look, colourful and vibrant with the unmistakable graphic line of the two artists.
A 6 meters hight sculpture
The renewed appearance of this large public artwork, more than six meters high, is a celebration of the Campo Viejo Wineries with the art and this intense collaboration of the two artists.
The fourth limited edition label of Campo Viejo Art Series range signed by Okuda and Remed, will be presented with the image of the sculpture as well.
A long running collaboration between the two artists
Over the past four years we have had the opportunity to witness how this duo of artists, Remed and Okuda, has gradually created a lot of artwork and participated in several places around the world teaming up with Campo Viejo.
Places as diverse as Mexico, Miami, Toronto, Warsaw, Madrid, London, Oslo, Zurich, Brussels, Dublin… have hosted the multiple stops of the Streets of Color, Rioja winery project in which the two urban artists have created a recognizable style in which the bright colors and geometric shapes intertwine in a unique way. “It is like a third artist were born from the collaboration of our two styles.” Remed says.
This ongoing collaborative journey between Okuda & Remed with the Campo Viejo winemakers celebrates the expressive nature of the wines and the sculpture in the vineyards was the first work and starting point for all other collaborations that have emerged on the edge of the years between the renowned Pernod Ricard brand and the two artists.
The artistic collaboration is managed by the cultural enterprise Nobulo since 2012.
More about the artists
REMED
Remed (Paris, 1978) is an expressive French Artist based in Madrid who is well known for his bold use of shapes and colour and large-scale murals. He started painting in 1995 in the privacy of his studio in his home town of Lille, but felt limited by a canvas framework so quickly moved his art to the streets.
OKUDA
Born in Santander, Spain, in 1980 and based in Madrid, Okuda is a passionate and internationally renowned Urban Artist.
Okuda has developed over the years a unique style of artistic expression characterized as “pop-surrealism meets Urban Art”. He uses geometric, bright-coloured abstract shapes with interplay of grey bodies and organic forms to depict contradictions about existentialism, the fake freedom of capitalism, the war between humans and themselves, and the meaning of life.
Since 2002, Okuda has received international recognition and now gets invited to participate in group shows and art events across the world. He has showcased his work at over 56 exhibitions and his portfolio expands a range of mediums from conceptual mixed media installations and mixed media canvas to mural paintings and Street Art.
About CAMPO VIEJO WINERIES
Ever since two local winemakers – Beristain and Ortigüela – created the first vintage in 1959, Campo Viejo has represented the expressiveness, colour and vibrancy of Rioja.
The Rioja winemaking region is situated in the north of Spain, in the heart of the Ebro valley. It’s the most important Spanish wine region and in its heart lies Campo Viejo.Campo Viejo’s winemakers work hard to ensure that Campo Viejo wines are the very best expressions of contemporary Rioja, conveying the vibrancy of the region in a way that is in keeping with the expressive, fruit-driven style which today’s wine drinkers are actively seeking.
Photos: Iñigo Martínez.
Johnson Tsang’s ceramics are flying
If I tell you “ceramics”, you’d probably look at me, nod politely and forget immediately that I mentioned that word but if I told you “Johnson Tsang’s ceramics”, I’d strongly advise you to listen and more importantly to take a look at his works as it is simply fantastic and will give you a complete new and fresh look at what you can do with ceramics.
Have you ever thought that emotions, movement and speed could be transposed into some ceramic works? Probably not. Ceramics may make you think of pots or something. Well see what you can do if you have Jonhson Tsang’s talent and skills.
See more on Johson Tang’s website – http://johnsontsang.wordpress.com/
Bonhams' Urban art auction – beyond expectation
The art auction market has been around for years, certainly a lot more than street art has been but yet, this emerging form of art seems to be on everybody’s lips and wallet indeed.
Bonhams’ auction, which just happened, has definitely showed us that. The bidding was fierce, the desire to own pieces from street artists, a must. The total sale from this Urban Art Sale at Bonham’s New Bond Street reached 455,760 GBP, with almost half of the works selling above their high estimates.
Here are some of the best sales
Banksy
‘Save or Delete Jungle Book’, 2001. This piece was originally made for Greenpeace
Sold for £78,000
Ben Eine
Circus A-Z’, 2010
stencil spray paint and glitter on canvas
Sold for £6,600
Futura 2000
Untitled, a performance piece created live on the Clash’s ‘Combat Rock’ tour, circa 1983
Sold for £38,400
via Hang-Up
The Sparrow, the Pearl and the Iridescsnt Girl
“Fairy tales challenge the reader to imagine magical worlds different from our own. We are reminded by the fairy tale of the thing we never should have forgotten — that our world might have been different and is magical the way it is: unexplainable, unpredictable, wild, and surprising. With our imaginations awakened, we can see with new eyes our own world filled with wonder once again.”[1]
Travis Prinzi from G.K. Chesterton on Fairy Tales
There once was a girl, some said she was blue, some said pink, but the sparrow outside her window knew. She was iridescent.
The sparrow had seen many yellows fatten to red and be swallowed whole by the worm-mother, but he loved it best when the worm-mother let loose the pearl. The pearl was always different; she was a crescent, a mysterious creature that changed shapes. There were many crescents, sweetsacs that fell and turned into whisperers, featherwash which appeared when the sky was heavy and sparkled when the yellow came out from behind the heavy, but his favourite was the pearl. Sometimes the pearl hid and would not come out, sometimes she laid bare her beautiful pearly skin and shone with exhilarating force, this made the iridescent girl come to her window and the sparrow would see her shimmering colour. The girl would breathe deep the scent of the pearl and she would leave gifts of her copper strands for the sparrow. The sparrow always repaid the girl’s kindness with gifts of his speckled feathers. Sometimes he would leave pebbles that looked like the pearl.
The sparrow knew the girl was pleased with his gifts because she would study them intently, then she would make another one appear by tracing their outline with a stick! The sparrow thought it a very clever thing to do.
This little fairy tale is for Annabel Dover, a fellow fairy tale lover. I interviewed her recently for This ‘Me’ of Mine:
Jane Boyer: On your website you describe yourself as constantly being “drawn to objects and the invisible stories that surround them; [t]hrough their subtle representation…exploring their power as intercessionary agents that allow socially acceptable emotional expression. The work presents itself as a complex mixture of scientific observation and tender girlish enthusiasm which often belies their history.” That is a wonderful compendium of mystery, fact and fascination. Do they share equal weight in your explorations?
Annabel Dover: I really enjoyed the show ‘Life or Theatre’ by Charlotte Salomans. It showed a very personal, fabulous fantasy representation of her life.
My upbringing was constructed from lies and my parents indulged in their own personal dramas. The truth was impossible to decipher and the objects that surrounded my sisters and I were often the only witnesses to ludicrous acts of fantasy and violence – the Freemason’s case with a bag of un-hewn rocks, a sign of dishonour; the naval coat with the buttons ripped off, indicators of an affair that my father had with a Naval officer; the college gown of my sisters’ father, an alcoholic professor; the love letters of his father, Canon for the BBC; the jewellery that represented both my mother’s and my grandmother’s love affairs. These and many other objects highlighted the traumas and the breaks in human relationships that made up the atmosphere of my upbringing. The stories told to me by my family unravelled with the discovery of these indiscreet objects.
The personal stories people tell are fascinating to me, they announce who they would like to be and often contrast with how others might perceive them to actually be.
Read more of our interview, Family Romances.
[1] Prinzi, Travis, G.K. Chesterton on Fairy Tales, Journey to the Sea, http://journeytothesea.com/chesterton-fairy-tales/ accessed on: 07/February/2013.