All posts by Pierrick Senelaer

Founder of the Art-Pie site. I design and code websites and apps Monday to Friday from 9 to 5 and enjoy drawing, painting and visits to museums and galleries at night and weekends.

Malika Favre – Hide and Seek at Kemistry gallery

Malika Favre "Hide and Seek" | Art-PieNow in its summer break, the London art scene has slightly slowed down and galleries are either busy relaxing or putting altogether their next shows. One of these that has caught our eyes and attention is the “Hide and Seek” show by Malika Favre at Kemistry gallery.

This show is for the minimalistic art enthusiast and if you love prints, you should definitely come and see Malika Favre’s Hide and Seek show and become fascinated by the story of a furtive yet sophisticated woman very much looking like the elegant woman you would find strolling on the Champs Elysees in Paris. Malika Favre is from France and you can clearly feel a Parisian looking woman influence in her character.

<img src="http://www.artpie.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/malika-favre.jpg" alt="Malika Favre "Hide and Seek" | Art-Pie" title="malika-favre" width="200" height="283" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-6779" />

The video that has been put together for the show – see below, is a real treat and is as funny in a way as intriguing. The woman keeps popping out of different patterns which are cleverly mixed together to lose viewers into them and thus increase the surprise effect when the woman appears.

From Kemistry gallery “Fascinated by patterns in everyday life, urban surroundings and architecture, French born Malika Favre has put together Hide and Seek, her first solo show in London. Malika’s work is bold and minimalistic, exploring the relationship between positive and negative space.”

From the artist “there is such beauty and intrigue in those repetitive concrete balconies, I felt like creating a series of abstract prints based on the architectural patterns that no one really notices.”

The 8 high end screenprints will be available for purchase at the gallery and online, each print is limited, signed and numbered by Malika Favre.

Malika Favre “Hide & Seek” | 6th Sept — 29th Sept 2012
Private View: Thursday 6th September 18:00 —21:00 | 43 Charlotte Road| London EC2A 3PD

DEIH and his Insider Series

DEIH The Insider Series | Art-PieWe talked to the Spanish born graffiti/street art artist DEIH who is part of the XLF CREW. We asked to tell us about him –

“I’m painting graffiti since 1993, and I still love it. I draw, I breath. I am developing a project called “The Insider”, which is part of an introspective investigation on my feelings and my life.

I draw my inner life, as I consider that the particular way of relating to the others and oneself (and the impasses one undergoes through that process) are the very core of any attempt of creation.

Thus, I understand science-fiction representational codes as a way to achieve (to construct) a personal truth, as I think that truth has a fictional structure.”

We have included a few photos of DEIH’s works along with some related links

http://www.eldeih.com
http://deih.blogspot.com

DEIH - THe Insider project | Art-Pie

DEIH - THe Insider project | Art-PieDEIH - THe Insider project | Art-Pie

DEIH - THe Insider project | Art-Pie

DEIH - THe Insider project | Art-Pie

Otto Schade at Frameless gallery

Otto Schade - Frameless gallery | Art-PieIt was lunch time and I was again walking towards the place that would put an end to the hunger I had been victim off all morning.

I then once again walked past the Frameless gallery in Farringdon which I had never bothered to visit until today.

I certainly knew about it but either the thought of a mighty sandwich (I work really nearby) or a recurrent weak interest in what I could glance at, had always been dragging me away from it. Not today. Otto Schade’s show – Street art Olympics, was on.

It really adds a dimension to any show when the artist paints something onto the front of the building where his/her show is held at and Otto Schade just did that.

The one who knows Otto Schade’s works will recognise this familiar face – see picture.  (more pictures after the fold)

There is a clear Olympics theme for the pieces on canvases that can be seen in the first part of the show (upstairs that is – it is worth to point out that I was not aware of the downstairs bit of the gallery which adds so much to the whole space and make it one of the best venues I have been in recent months).

Next to those, sit a series of more traditional prints.

Otto Schade - frameless gallery | Art-PieThe earthy colors scheme used for the Olympics themed pieces which are all on a black background gives them a very warm feel whilst the black – red – white scheme used for the prints does the opposite and seems to freeze the image.

Head downstairs and find a variety of other pieces from Otto Schade from portraits of the Queen Elizabeth to the representation of a panda which seems to have found a ball to play with. It was hard to find an obvious link with the Olympics here – let me point out that the show is called “Street art Olympics”.

And there I saw it, I saw the piece I want to own: a make over of the Queen of Diamonds playing card by Otto Schade. The colors work so well, the intensity of this piece obtained by hiding the face of the character is intense and seductive.

Would you agree?

“Street art Olympics” by Otto Schade rund until the 12th August
Frameless gallery | 20 Clerkenwell green | EC1R ODP | London
Opening Hours: 11am – 7pm Monday to Saturday

Otto Schade - frameless gallery | Art-Pie

Otto Schade - frameless gallery | Art-Pie

Otto Schade - Frameless gallery | Art-Pie Otto Schade - Frameless gallery | Art-Pie

A glow in the dark skate park

Otro by Koo Jeong-A | Art_PieWe all like when art means having fun, don’t we? How about then if you could skateboard on a sculpture and even better glow-in-the-dark skate park? Yes you would or at least you would support the concept.

The concept is out there in fact and in France precisely. Korean artist Koo Jeong-A has come up with a solution. The structure is called Otro, and is made from green phosphorescent concrete (how cool is that) so it gives off a radioactive glare at night. It is composed of different bowls, a cradle and three tunnels. See pictures below.

Koo Jeong-A invites anyone to share the physical and sensorial experience of her sculpture/skatepark. With OTRO, Koo Jeong-A tries out the fragile visibility of the artwork, its discrete appearance that tests our perception, obliging you to discover with patience the artwork’s essence. So if you are on holiday in France near Limoges, make a stop for Otro, you’ll like it.

Exact location: Lac de Vassivière | 87120 Beaumont-du-Lac, France | View the location on Google maps

Go onto the www.escaut.org website to find out more about the OTRO project

Otro by Koo Jeong-A | Art_Pie

Otro by Koo Jeong-A | Art_PieOtro by Koo Jeong-A | Art_Pie

Otro by Koo Jeong-A | Art_Pie

Art Drive – BMW cars turned into artwork

Art Drive - Jeff Koons | Art-PieWhatever some may think about the London 2012 Olympics, it is bringing a lot art and life to the city making it not only the sport capital of the world but very much a cultural hub right now. We have started to enjoy the many exhibitions and pop up art shows part of the London 2012 festival that is running along the Olympics and actually right into September.

We made our first stop at Art Drive and we so glad we did. The NCP Car Park, 35 Great Eastern Street, Shoreditch, London EC2A 3ER which I ignored so many times as I walked past, is now cocooning the BMW Art Car Collection. 17 cars turned into pieces of art. I will never see again that car park with the same eyes.

You have to go back in 1975 to see the first ever BMW Art Car burning some rubber at the famous Le Mans 24-hour race. From there 16 other Art cars followed which all competed in this very race until the current and last one ever painted – The Jeff Koons one, see below for pictures. Some of the artists who got involved in this 35-year long project are Andy Warhol, Alexander Calder, Cesar Manrique or Frank Stella.

But enough about the history, let’s go and see the cars! The settings for this show are completely surreal: the car wash team, based outside of the car park was at it while I was greeted with a big smile by the the Art Drive team and quickly ushered inside the car park and rapidly wafted in a huge lift that can most definitely contain a couple of cars but above all that made me feel right into some sort of action or sci-fi movies like Alien. I was excited now.

The girofar then went off, a strident sound soon followed that smashed the relative silence that had settled during my journey up to the unknown. The door slid open: I had reached the 8th floor and was about to see my first Art Car.

Enjoy the pictures below and leave a comment if you like any of them! Consult this website to read more about the cars, designs and artists that took part in this project

A bit of trivia for you – the BMW Art Car M1 by Andy Warhol was the most successful car on the circuit de la Sarthe, it took sixth place overall in 1979.

The latest and last BMW Art Car by Jeff Koons
Art Drive - Jeff Koons | Art-Pie

ALEXANDER CALDER
Art Drive - Alexander Calder | Art-Pie

SANDRO CHIA (left) | ESTHER MALANGU
Art Drive - Sandro Chia | Art-PieArt Drive - Esther Malangu | Art-Pie

ROY LICHTENSTEIN
Art Drive - Roy Lichtenstein | Art-Pie

FRANK STELLA
Art Drive - Frank Stella | Art-Pie

ANDY WARHOL
Art Drive - Andy Warhol | Art-Pie